Common knowledge that an inexperienced person should know?

[alinas2010]

Chickens are a lot more intelligent and observant than people give them credit for. They seem to always be watching you and looking at what you are doing. They know when you wear something out of the ordinary. They know if there’s a speck of something different on your arm, face, etc. I do not know how they can tell when I have a speck of brown paint on my arm that isn’t the usual freckle lol. They can remember up to 100 different faces of chickens, humans, and other animals. They know who our cats are, which dogs are ours (they like our cattle dog but not our shihtzu lol) and which people give treats. They also know the difference between hawks in the sky, vs crows and ravens. Not exactly sure if this is common knowledge but it’s just something that I’ve noticed.

A second thing that I want to mention is that bio security is a really important part of keeping chickens. Chickens are experts at hiding illnesses and you can bring in seemingly healthy birds and end up with an incurable, lifelong illness. If you are to bring in adult or juvenile chickens you should quarantine them (including chickens from friends or family’s flocks). I go as far as to not introducing any new chickens except day old chicks or hatching eggs from npip sources, I have read too many horror stories of people ending up with mg or something like that after introducing adult chickens. Illnesses can even be tracked in from feed stores, swaps, and poultry shows on your shoes, clothing, etc. I keep a separate pair of shoes for my chicken yard. There’s many articles for people to learn more about bio security and the measures you can take!

I always wonder how they differentiate the hawks. My girls always spot them before I do and run for cover. I’m always so impressed.

 

[CaliforniaMountainChicks]

I always wonder how they differentiate the hawks. My girls always spot them before I do and run for cover. I’m always so impressed.

Me too! Ravens are roughly the same size and look so similar to hawks soaring in the sky. Mine are in a covered chicken yard but they still watch for the hawks and sound an alarm and hide when they see them! They hate when a hawk lands in the pine tree above them but don’t bat an eye when it’s a raven or crow.

 

[Aprilxoxo]

Me too! Ravens are roughly the same size and look so similar to hawks soaring in the sky. Mine are in a covered chicken yard but they still watch for the hawks and sound an alarm and hide when they see them! They hate when a hawk lands in the pine tree above them but don’t bat an eye when it’s a raven or crow.

Their instincts are so impressive. I got my hens as day olds and they first encountered a hawk when they were full grown and it never did anything to them besides sit ontop of the fully enclosed pen looking. But the girls knew this bird bad and sqwarked and ran around and hid under things.

 

[MamaFox78]

Great responses! Here's a few more I've learned in my first year of being a chicken mom...

Lots of people think corvids (magpies, crows & ravens) can harm their flock... but my sister and I have found that corvids will actually protect your flock from raptor birds! Raptors are scared of them, and the corvids see your chickens' extra scratch and scraps as a food source they want to protect, so they keep the hawks and eagles away.

Also I'm about to try hanging shiny objects around the chicken yard to keep hawks away, as well as bird netting over the top and maybe an owl decoy... in 100 years of my coop being there, it's never been covered and the previous owner who lived here since 1963 said they never lost a chicken to a hawk. But I had a wee chickie get snatched the other day (ravens and magpies can only protect them while they're around), and now that hawk keeps coming back, so I'm taking every precaution.

Coyotes are a problem here too, I lost 2 hens that way... I didn't know they can jump a 4' barbed wire fence reinforced with hog wire, but they sure did. My husband shot at them with his 7 mag and scared them off, so far so good with the coyotes.

Mice are awful!!! Keep your coop super clean of spilled feed, store all feed in mouse-proof containers (new Rubbermaid trash cans with lids are cheap & work great), plug any holes rodents can get into with steel wool and caulk over it, and make sure to pick up eggs every evening when you close up your birds. Mice will get into the nesting boxes and eat the eggs! And they carry parasites like lice and other gross stuff, not to mention the bacteria in their feces. Once they establish your coop as a food source, they'll keep coming back, even if you live trap and relocate - the only way to get rid of them is to trap and kill them. Barn cats are also a great idea. Oh and we found out from the judge at the 4-H fair poultry show that mice will also nibble on your chickens' feathers while they roost... nasty lil critters!

Amen to not heating the coop! Heat lamps are the WORST, never ever use them... they're dangerous and super bad for your chooks. One of my worst rookie mistakes with this was when a couple of my older girls got egg yolk peritonitis from the constant light source, and one of them ended up with a frostbitten comb. Now I just use heated perches and heat pads that only kick on at freezing temps, to help prevent frostbite during the subzero nights (I'm in the Rockies at 8500ft, our winters are stupid cold and we get snow for 8-9 months).

A good first aid kit is a must! You never know what those silly birds are gonna do to themselves. Others have made great suggestions on what to stock, so I'll leave it at that.

Diatomaceous earth is my go-to for parasite control. I had to treat for lice, and that stuff works fast - I dusted the affected bird and in less than an hour all the lice had died and dropped off! Half of my coop is tube sand over concrete, and the other half has a dirt floor, I sprinkle DE in there so they can dust bathe in it even over winter. If you don't have a dirt floor, you can provide a box of dirt, sand & DE for dust bathing. Wood ash is also a good addition. Straw and wood shavings (never use cedar) can harbor parasites, so dust with DE and make sure to change it out regularly. Lice and scaly leg mites really suck, the best offense is a good defense!

I've really enjoyed my chickens, they're so funny to watch and their personalities are amazing. I can't wait for my pullets to start laying, and learn what happens when they go broody and hatch their own eggs! Such an adventure being a chicken mom... good luck to you!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Lots of people think corvids (magpies, crows & ravens) can harm their flock... but my sister and I have found that corvids will actually protect your flock from raptor birds! Raptors are scared of them, and the corvids see your chickens' extra scratch and scraps as a food source they want to protect, so they keep the hawks and eagles away.

One thing I will add about corvids. They may not attack larger grown birds, but they won't hesitate to take eggs and weaker chicks

 

[Mr Spot]

Here's one. They are BIRDS. They are tough and sturdy. You don't need to knit sweaters for them to wear in cold weather. They do NOT need a heated coop. If wild birds can survive, so can they. If you can keep them dry and out of drafts, they will do well. Protect them predators and they will do well.

ANEN on that one !

 

[ChicFil- A]

Wait, wait, I thought of a fun one that i was perplexed by. Chickens wipe their faces on the ground. I always wondered why, I thought something was wrong when I saw mine do it. Several theories as to why. I believe the one that says it is to keep their faces clean, since they can’t use napkins Some people think it’s to mark or leave a scent? But mine do it after messy meals, like yogurt. I just had no idea they liked to be that tidy haha.

 

[Owen_Blandford]

always make sure there is nothing in the doorway before you put them to bed

 

[ChicFil- A]

Good Morning,
Our chickens all wipe their beaks from side to side in dirt or bedding as if cleaning face and lips after consuming food or water.
I watched them carefully until I realized what they we’re doing! and the only time they do this beak cleaning is after consuming wet or messy food.

 

[ReliezFarm]

Hi everyone

I own a very small flock (2 turkeys, 4 chickens, some quail and recently newly hatched chicks)
I am very new still to owning poultry and theres alot i do not know, but when i initially decided to get them i did alot of researching of what they needed, diseases, common problems, how to enrich them and so on. Or so i thought...

April, thanks for asking.
first-aid kit is great idea. Scratch is mostly corn, which is crack for chickens. Not much nutrition. I prefer to give them wholesome snacks: fresh fruit, melon, lettuce greens. More expensive, but very good, dried meal worms, which I mix with a wild bird seed mix.
One thing I noticed missing here is a Dust Bath for all the birds to play in. I've had quails, turkeys and chickens and they all loved to play in the 'sand box'. I found it easiest to take a large cat litter pan and fill it with a mixture of sand/earth/DE. The DE will kill all the mites and keep the flock healthy. The edge of the pan is low enough that the quails can also jump in.
Roosters are great (mostly) and will protect your flock, but if you have turkeys, they are large enough to serve the same purpose. It's important to school your rooster when they are young that you are the Alpha, so he doesn't attack you and think you are a threat to his hens. I handle them a lot, taking them inside to sit on my lap in the evenings... ALL (10) of my roosters sacrificed themselves to protect the hens from hawks and coyotes.

Be careful of things that can poison the birds. They will eat anything that looks like food: paint chips, cigarette butts, grass trimmings. Also when painting or waterproofing the coop, don't use products that are not safe for children. E.g. oil based water proofing for fences (Pentafin) has a high VOC and is not healthy to breath. Use water based acrylic paints and water proofers.

In order of intelligence Turkeys are at the top, chickens and then bottom is quails. Cute as they are, the quails are pretty 'slow'. I think ducks and geese are up there with Turkeys, depends on breed of duck.