Experienced chicken people!

[writerskramp]

Howdy, any experienced chicken people have any helpful advice for a first timer who's raising egg laying hens?

Let em' lay eggs and collect them.. daily is advisable..

 

[rehdancer]

Don't worry !!! Some folks get all hyper about small things. Good info re: ventilation - that's most important. Spend time observing - they're quite entertaining little critters and will teach you a lot about just being present !!! This is a great forum to find out things once you have them long enough to have questions - it's well-organized and probably has an article or thread about any question you might have. Be sure and let us know when you get your first egg - you'll hear us all celebrating with you !! Welcome !!

 

[Chickmgnet]

They are growing soooooo fast...TOO fast all of their little fuzzies are practically gone and not to mention the sass! Such beautiful things

 

[Drummondchick]

Lol...maybe my chooks are just really docile because they are ex bats... the only thing they have pecked at is my flowery gloves and a red pair of trousers!

Nope...I'm a novice chicken owner and I smiled and got my front tooth pecked at, perhaps they look like mielies (corn) to the chooks

 

[MrsPeterTHooper]

Here's my advice as a suburban chicken owner:
1) Choose whether you want tame birds who you have to constantly protect or birds who are wary of all other creatures including you. I chose the latter because I want my chickens to be able to free range. This means that they are generally skittish and aren't cuddly at all, but it also means that they are wary of their surroundings and hide themselves from predators when necessary. I have only lost one chicken (out of 8) to a predator and I think it was because she was old and so not as quick or strong. We have foxes, coyotes, raccoons, hawks and other city predators living nearby. While it would be nice to have my chickens act like cats or dogs, I'd rather not have to be their constant protector.
2) Create your coop and run in a way that deters rats. Before creating your coop, run and feeding space, do some research on rats so that you don't accidentally create a space that attracts them and meets their needs so you can't get rid of them. A few key things--put your coop off of the ground so rats can't nest beneath it and use feeders and waterers that are hard for rats to use/get in to.
I hope these help! These are the things that I wish someone had told me.

 

[Chickmgnet]

Here's my advice as a suburban chicken owner:
1) Choose whether you want tame birds who you have to constantly protect or birds who are wary of all other creatures including you. I chose the latter because I want my chickens to be able to free range. This means that they are generally skittish and aren't cuddly at all, but it also means that they are wary of their surroundings and hide themselves from predators when necessary. I have only lost one chicken (out of 8) to a predator and I think it was because she was old and so not as quick or strong. We have foxes, coyotes, raccoons, hawks and other city predators living nearby. While it would be nice to have my chickens act like cats or dogs, I'd rather not have to be their constant protector.
2) Create your coop and run in a way that deters rats. Before creating your coop, run and feeding space, do some research on rats so that you don't accidentally create a space that attracts them and meets their needs so you can't get rid of them. A few key things--put your coop off of the ground so rats can't nest beneath it and use feeders and waterers that are hard for rats to use/get in to.
I hope these help! These are the things that I wish someone had told me.

I'm glad there are zero to little rats in my area haha from what I've seen at least but better safe than sorry

 

[MrsPeterTHooper]

I'm glad there are zero to little rats in my area haha from what I've seen at least but better safe than sorry

They are there, trust me. I didn't see a rat for two years of having chickens but when we got careless about our chickens' food we began seeing them more. You won't see them until they become so confident in their ability to get food and shelter that they start coming out during the day.

 

[Chickmgnet]

They are there, trust me. I didn't see a rat for two years of having chickens but when we got careless about our chickens' food we began seeing them more. You won't see them until they become so confident in their ability to get food and shelter that they start coming out during the day.

Oh my good thing I'm a little crazy when it comes to my critters and research. Sorta like a mama hen. Chicken wire on inside of coop. And around run fully including stretching wire underneath the run also but about 4in deep. Now we wait and hope right?