Having an "oh my gosh what was I thinking" moment

[kristaschics15]

Man yall are awesome. I do feel different this morning last night was rough for some reason. I am pretty sure the feelings are there because of them still being in the house.

My dad started helping with the coop so it is in progress. The stress issue now is that my mom has gotten sick and he needs to stay home (5 hours away) with her until they figure out what's wrong and I'm sure that's stressed me out too.
I've talked on the GA thread and it's very hard to squeeze into an already existing group and be heard. No one really talks to me yet and I don't know a lot of what they are talking about since they are friends and have year long conversations going. Still trying though! I did ask if anyone was near Claxton but no one answered so I assumed no. I may ask on a seperate thread and see if anyone answers.

I do know that if I find chickens aren't my thing it isn't the end of the world but I don't think that will be the case. Just need to get through this adjustment.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Man yall are awesome. I do feel different this morning last night was rough for some reason. I am pretty sure the feelings are there because of them still being in the house.

My dad started helping with the coop so it is in progress. The stress issue now is that my mom has gotten sick and he needs to stay home (5 hours away) with her until they figure out what's wrong and I'm sure that's stressed me out too.
I've talked on the GA thread and it's very hard to squeeze into an already existing group and be heard. No one really talks to me yet and I don't know a lot of what they are talking about since they are friends and have year long conversations going. Still trying though! I did ask if anyone was near Claxton but no one answered so I assumed no. I may ask on a seperate thread and see if anyone answers.

I do know that if I find chickens aren't my thing it isn't the end of the world but I don't think that will be the case. Just need to get through this adjustment.

for a rough night

for the worry about your mom

for feeling like you can't get your foot in the door on the thread. I know that can be frustrating.

 

[amandawv]

Believe me they get easier as they get older. Much more self sufficient.

 

[winc564]

At first I was overwhelmed with my chickens. The coop wasn't ready and they were picking on each other a bit. We got it worked out and the coop build. We still add things here and there but my chickens are old enough now they aren't much work.

The days I am overwhelmed now I just sit down and watch my crazy, brilliant, dumb animals it grounds me. (Sorry if I've offended anyone for calling chickens dumb but they are so smart and so dumb all in one and it makes me laugh).

I always try to do things perfect so I overwhelm myself. Balance will come but it won't be perfect because life isn't perfect. Breathe deep and be calm. It will work out. And if you decide chickens aren't your thing you will figure it out.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels "grounded" with the chickens around. I didn't expect it, when I started this venture, but the chickens give me a sense of peace and serenity. I have no idea why, but I will take it!

I'm also in the same boat. The coop isn't done and I'm becoming tired of the brooder in the house. I tote them all out to a temporary pen when I am home. It is worth it to see how happy they are outside. I'm looking forward to them being grown because I know it will be simpler then.

 

[kristaschics15]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels "grounded" with the chickens around.  I didn't expect it, when I started this venture, but the chickens give me a sense of peace and serenity.  I have no idea why, but I will take it!

I'm also in the same boat.  The coop isn't done and I'm becoming tired of the brooder in the house.  I tote them all out to a temporary pen when I am home.  It is worth it to see how happy they are outside.  I'm looking forward to them being grown because I know it will be simpler then.

I love watching them and could all day! I will let them out to forage in my back yard and it's so fun as soon as I open the door they are gone! But oh my gosh rounding them back up to go in the brooder is such a pain! Lol. Last time it took me 30 minutes to get 5 chickens rounded up. They were like nnnnooooo we like it out here!! I'm sure they do but my back yard is not safe for yall unsupervised!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels "grounded" with the chickens around. I didn't expect it, when I started this venture, but the chickens give me a sense of peace and serenity. I have no idea why, but I will take it!

I'm also in the same boat. The coop isn't done and I'm becoming tired of the brooder in the house. I tote them all out to a temporary pen when I am home. It is worth it to see how happy they are outside. I'm looking forward to them being grown because I know it will be simpler then.

Just wait until the build is done and they have grown more independent - then the real peace and enjoyment settles in as all you have to do is pull up a chair and sit watching hours of "chicken t.v." without all the hustle and bustle that comes with them for you right now. My 'unwind time' at the end of each busy, stressful day at work is to go home and just soak in some good quiet time with our furred and feathered family members.

 

[newmarch2014]

The chick phase passes pretty quickly which is bittersweet. I love their tiny fluffy butts but the worry and work, transferring them in and out, cleaning water dishes, cleaning bedding, worrying about introducing them to the big hens in the right way is all time consuming and hard. That passes though and then they become easier to deal with. I am a student full time and I work almost full time and have 3 high energy dogs. The dogs suffer from lack of exercise and attention during hard semesters and midterm and finals time but it all can work. I have streamlined the chickens operation to make it as easy as possible, they have a poop board under the roosts with a couple inches of PDZ stall freshener that is easy to rake onto the floor, the floor is covered in sand in the summer and straw in the winter to optimize cool and warm. I clean it out well 2x a year as I make the transition from one substrate to the other ( 2 hours). Every 4 mos or so I replenish whatever substrate or pdz needs it (20 minutes). Weekly I pick up each chicken and do a basic health chick looking for bumblefoot or gleet or whatever is obvious from the outside, and wash and fill their waterer (3 gallon in the winter, 5 gallon in the summer) and during the summer I rake the poop off the floor and throw it in the compost. (1 hour). Every other day I scoop the poop board onto the floor of the coop. (5 minutes) Daily I pick up the eggs once a day and let them out of the coop to the run and feed them which if I am busy with other stuff takes me literally a total of (5 minutes) a day. That comes to just over 122 hours a year, if you add that to the 8 trips or so to the feedstore we are up to about 150 hours a year. Not a bad ratio for eggs and entertainment whenever I want.
Once you have a coop and run set up for them it will be better. I have a neighbor that bought a little coop on the local equivalent to craigslist and set it in a dog kennel. Easy peasy and with the addition of an apron of hardware cloth wired on and a screen over the top he is in business for his little flock.

 

[Sonya9]

I've talked on the GA thread and it's very hard to squeeze into an already existing group and be heard. No one really talks to me yet and I don't know a lot of what they are talking about since they are friends and have year long conversations going.

Yeah, the GA thread posters are a small clique and I stopped posting on that thread after a while for the same reason. If you want to talk chickens (and not merely build up the ego of a couple of the posters) then you may not fit into that little group.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Yeah, the GA thread posters are a small clique and I stopped posting on that thread after a while for the same reason. If you want to talk chickens (and not merely build up the ego of a couple of the posters) then you may not fit into that little group.

That makes me sad to hear that some have been made to feel that way - maybe this is an opportunity for the two of you/any others to start building the sort of local group you were looking for in the first place?

 

[needlessjunk]

I know the feeling. Right now I'm second guessing myself as well. I think it's just the little baby age. Once they are older it so easy and simple. In fact my husband comments on how easy it is and told me to get chicks, we only had ducks up to a few days ago. I also need to build a coop still but at least I know their brooder is big enough to take them to adult age.