Greetings from a new chicken parent of 6!

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chickenstarter12

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Hello BYC community!

Just wanted to introduce myself. My username is Chickenstarter12, and I'm the proud new parent of 6 wonderful chickens! I'm completely new to this but am already hooked.

I found this community while searching for advice, and it looks like an incredible resource. I'm hoping to learn everything from coop ideas to keeping my flock healthy and happy.

What's one thing that surprised you the most when you first started keeping chickens?

Looking forward to being part of the group!

Cheers, Chickenstarter12
 
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Since you asked, what surprised me most when I got my first chickens is how much differently I raise my chickens than my dad raised ours when I was a kid.

The family's chickens lived in an old, dilapidated shed; mine have fancy coops. A sick chicken was almost always a soon-to-be-dead chicken. I sometimes think my dad is rolling in his grave when I drive a sick bird 100 miles away to an avian vet and spend ridiculous amounts of money to treat it. And, Dad would NEVER have bought bags of dried veggies and mealworms; his birds had to forage for their own treats. Essentially, my farm boy dad treated chickens like livestock, and I treat mine like pets.

I'm glad to learn that you are taking chicken care seriously and are willing to do what you need to do to keep your six alive and well.

Welcome to BYC, where lots of helpful folks will be happy to guide you on your mission!! Thanks for joining us!
 
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Welcome!

I think what surprised me most is how affectionate they can be, and how each one has a definite personality. I've had chickens who sit on me, sit next to me, avoid me, groom me, greet me. . . They're amazing, and I'm perpetually in awe.
 
Hello and welcome to BYC! :frow Glad you joined.

chickenstarter12 said:
What's one thing that surprised you the most when you first started keeping chickens?
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The kung fu fighting/interpretive dance stage of the juveniles. Never ceases to amuse me!
 
Welcome to the club! What surprised me the most my first year with chickens was how cold hardy they are. Sure, you should avoid drafts with very young chicks, but fully feathered chickens are wearing their own personal down parkas. My first winter with chickens we were hit with a polar vortex. One morning I decided it was going to be too cold for the chickens and planned to leave them locked in the coop. Except when I went out to bring them liquid water, they all met me at the gate to the run! I had forgotten to shut the pop door the night before, and the chickens had a different idea of how cold was "too cold" for chickens.
 

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