Hen Pecked Hen

[Tamdog]

I’m new to chickens. Building my coop. I am on here to learn. My birds are to arrive July 13th. So I don’t know anything. As I read about problems that arise, I honestly, daily consider cancelling my order.
The flies, pecking order, etc.
I’m seriously giving it a second thought.

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@Shoshone

*** Please do not consider canceling your order.

I c o m p l e t e l y get it. I do! You know why? I have owned chickens for DECADES and never had a injury, problem, disease or anything I thought was bad, ...... THEN this year, after years of owning chickens I joined BYC and started to look around and read all the post on this site. I just about wanted to sell my chickens. I started giving Epsom salt baths and foot washes to chickens - Chickens that probably did not have a thing wrong with them. Chickens in the past that would have just slipped off in the woods and died a natural death. - or gotten eaten by a dog.

All of a sudden I felt like my chicken had worms, and seriously - that grossed me out so bad ( even though I owned chickens for decades and NEVER saw a worm or a sick chicken.... I was worried that all my chickens had some disease. Every disease known to man kind ( chicken- kind). It grossed me out to see all the photos and yuccky stuff. I told my husband " You know I feel like a person who went to medical school and all of a sudden they feel like they are sick with every possible ailment."

So I decided to pick and choose which post to read. I decided " They are chickens" Sure over the years some of them probably died from something I was not educated enough to understand. I want to go back to THAT DAY. AND I DID go back to that day. I went back to NOT looking at my chickens and trying to see if they were lethargic, or sad, or had a cough. - They are chickens, I love them- they die, I get new ones. End of story. Well, the second part of the story is they absolutely do give you the most healthy eggs you can eat- and if you think about the living conditions of the chickens that we get store bought eggs from- you will discover that you feel a w h o l e lot better about your chicken and eating their eggs.

Stick with it. Quit reading all the medical stuff.

 

[ThreeOfSeven]

I’m new to chickens. Building my coop. I am on here to learn. My birds are to arrive July 13th. So I don’t know anything. As I read about problems that arise, I honestly, daily consider cancelling my order.
The flies, pecking order, etc.
I’m seriously giving it a second thought.

OMG, don't do that! Yes, there are issues now and then, but everyday they make me smile! My girls come running when they hear the sound of my voice, and a couple want to be held. I can't imagine my life without my chickens. It's the same with my dogs. They give me a lot of love and companionship, but I have to deal with the downside too -- one dog is going deaf, another one has feet issues, and one boy loves going upstairs to poop and pee.

This board is great because there are people here to help if and when you need it. You can vent, and you can share happy stories too. What's even better, we all love chickens, even yours.

 

[Shoshone]

_____________________________________________

@Shoshone

*** Please do not consider canceling your order.

I c o m p l e t e l y get it. I do! You know why? I have owned chickens for DECADES and never had a injury, problem, disease or anything I thought was bad, ...... THEN this year, after years of owning chickens I joined BYC and started to look around and read all the post on this site. I just about wanted to sell my chickens. I started giving Epsom salt baths and foot washes to chickens - Chickens that probably did not have a thing wrong with them. Chickens in the past that would have just slipped off in the woods and died a natural death. - or gotten eaten by a dog.

All of a sudden I felt like my chicken had worms, and seriously - that grossed me out so bad ( even though I owned chickens for decades and NEVER saw a worm or a sick chicken.... I was worried that all my chickens had some disease. Every disease known to man kind ( chicken- kind). It grossed me out to see all the photos and yuccky stuff. I told my husband " You know I feel like a person who went to medical school and all of a sudden they feel like they are sick with every possible ailment."

So I decided to pick and choose which post to read. I decided " They are chickens" Sure over the years some of them probably died from something I was not educated enough to understand. I want to go back to THAT DAY. AND I DID go back to that day. I went back to NOT looking at my chickens and trying to see if they were lethargic, or sad, or had a cough. - They are chickens, I love them- they die, I get new ones. End of story. Well, the second part of the story is they absolutely do give you the most healthy eggs you can eat- and if you think about the living conditions of the chickens that we get store bought eggs from- you will discover that you feel a w h o l e lot better about your chicken and eating their eggs.

Stick with it. Quit reading all the medical stuff.

Awesome advice!
Thanks Much

 

[Shoshone]

OMG, don't do that! Yes, there are issues now and then, but everyday they make me smile! My girls come running when they hear the sound of my voice, and a couple want to be held. I can't imagine my life without my chickens. It's the same with my dogs. They give me a lot of love and companionship, but I have to deal with the downside too -- one dog is going deaf, another one has feet issues, and one boy loves going upstairs to poop and pee.

This board is great because there are people here to help if and when you need it. You can vent, and you can share happy stories too. What's even better, we all love chickens, even yours.

I love it. Thanks.

 

[Shoshone]

Good points. I have LOTS of space for the girls and plenty of paraphernalia to give them places to hide behind.

This is the larger outside run with covered roof. It's attached to a smaller run.
View attachment 2199270

Here's a pic of the smaller run, also with roof, and you can see the sliding door that connects the 2 runs. Also a pic of the 2nd coop.
View attachment 2199275

This is the outside space with overhead netting (hawks). They access this area by going through the 2nd coop.
View attachment 2199280

Okay, so all this space is for 10 hens and 4 small ducks. I have seen her attacked by the Black Australorp on rare occasions, once a week maybe, so that's why I think she's getting attacked in her coop in the mornings and they're anxious to be let out of the coop. That's when space is tight.

I have thought about bringing her into the house, if only to give her some relief. Although, I'm not sure she will see it that way.

You take very good care of your hens... kudos

 

[ThreeOfSeven]

You take very good care of your hens... kudos

Thanks, I try. DH told me this evening that the little girl was "attacked" this morning right after being let out of the coop.

I'm going to try to move her over to the other coop tonight, and see how it goes with my 2 Partridge Rocks.

 

[ThreeOfSeven]

Okay, just finished closing up the coops. Rather than move my poor little EE, I moved my 2 Black Australorps in with the 2 Partridge Rocks. I really think this is a better balance.

 

[VaChickGirls]

I’m new to chickens. Building my coop. I am on here to learn. My birds are to arrive July 13th. So I don’t know anything. As I read about problems that arise, I honestly, daily consider cancelling my order.
The flies, pecking order, etc.
I’m seriously giving it a second thought.

Do Not Cancel!!! They are so fun! I think reading all of the stuff is overwhelming. Just do what works for you!