i am so fed up with these dumb birds!!! *screams*

[Katy]

Quote:
I know - hence the difficulty in all of this and why I feel so stuck.

I have rehomed some youngsters and some older girls recently and have always warned the new owners of the risks, but haven't gotten anyone who said they were worried.

Probably because the birds only live long enough to give eggs then end in the stewpot...

The problem birds (the ones who still gurgle on occasion) will never be rehomed, we'll probably end up culling them before winter

Glad to hear you're trying to be responsible in how you downsize. I know it's not easy for you, but if you get down to fewer birds, you'll get the chance to enjoy them again without all the stress....or at least not as much.

 

[anderson8505]

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Perhaps you have too many. It's okay to pare down. It is not worth your health.

 

[heather112588]

downsizing would help reduce your stress emensely. Just keep your favorite ones (cough*obedient ones who listen to you to go in the coop). It will help you better budget money and your time.

I live in the suburbs. When we started with chickens, we only wanted 3 but chickens math caught us and we ended up with 19! Slowly, it has been shrinking down (some by culling and some from heat/predator problems). We now have 11 but will shrink the flock down to 8 or 9 yet to be content (plus feed cost have gone up).

Ps- i agree that there are ways to train your girls to go in at night. mine will do anything for bananas...they have ran all the way accross our yard (5 acres) bc they distantly saw me with a banana in hand.

 

[technodoll]

I'm such a happy, proud and RELIEVED chicken mama tonight!

Yesterday I left the flock locked up in their new coop and run (again), so that made 11 nights in their new quarters...

Opened the run gate early this morning to let them free-range all day, the only food and water they could access was in their new coop...

I went out 3 times during the day to "lure" the stubborn ones back to the coop with a trail of bread, their very favorite treat...

Kept seeing most of them wander in and out during the day and prayed really hard that they would finally associate "sleep time" with their new coop and not their old one -

and it worked!!

All 30 birds put themselves to bed without any drama tonight!

No chasing, no screaming, no cajoling, no tears

I'm celebrating with a glass of wine! LOL!

Thank you all again for your support when I needed to vent... it really helped me get through a difficult time and now life is good again.

I love my smart girls

 

[NYRIR]

Quote:
So glad they finally learned!

I feel your pain...at times it's overwhelming but I think a lot has to do with what's going on BESIDES the chickens....when life is good elsewhere,the chickens and birds seem no trouble at all.But when things are tougher...every little "squabble" and peck can seem worse!
I know I have a lot of "extras" right now as well....I know some will not be here this winter....between selling pullets,drakes,roos,butchering some (turkeys,chickens,geese and ducks) Their care will be less time consuming for us, and we will have good,healthy meat for our table.
I think everyone has to find the right balance for their situation....it's a learning process.Sounds like you are half-way there! I am still trying to figure out how many I want for keeps and how many for butcher each year and for sale.
What I mean is, don't go drastic and get rid of them all at once! Try cutting back....and see where it leads you

Glad they are starting to behave....and yes, I have Tetra Tints that are extremely good at staying out of reach too...lol...so I know what you meant about the Leghorns!

 

[KSCluckah]

Hey Bliss...
I feel ya...we've had over a month of 100 degree plus temps...too hot to build a proper hen house...I got over excited and chicken math kicked in...the twelve I intended to buy became 32 and ALMOST included DUCKS!!!! Thank goodness I dodged THAT bullet!!

My chooks are just at four months, and its like a free for all with my birds, the boys all jockeying for dominance and terrorizing the hens as they choose their favorites.
I've grown fond of all these clucking knuckleheads and now I'm stuck with em...they better start makin' my breakfast soon or they'll end up as coq au vin!

At least once in a while they make me laugh...

I concur with previous posters...check the member list and find a fellow byc'er who's close to you so you can get a break.

Oh and remember, a day without chicken poop is like a day without sunshine, OR a day with a clean shirt!!

Peace.
Cluckah

 

[Cockadoodledon't]

I know you had posted earlier that you didnt trust anyone to care for your birds the way you do.
I understand that completely. I work out of town 3 days a week and feel the same way.

BUT...what I did was take my son and wife and teach them a little at a time about how and what to do..so now I feel much better when I have to go to work.
For vacation, I rely on my momma....she is 77 yrs old, but spry and relatively healthy and as tenacious as they come

....she would attach Hell with a water pistol

....and I would give her about a 1 chance in 3 of success...LOL!!!!

Be watching for someone that could be trainable to allow you to have some respite

.... Will keep much of your hair on top of your head in the long run!! LOL!! Take care!

 

[southerndesert]

After it becomes a normal routine caring for your birds it is...well...just part of the daily gig. I think much is to do with why we keep our flocks and we keep chickens for food, a little extra cash, and just because I have had them around most of my life. There have been periods when we didn't or couldn't keep chickens and the whole time I wished I could.

We simply care for our flocks as would any caring farmer.... The kids have a favorite or two though that they cuddle and favor, but the rest are (we all hate this term) just chickens (meant in a good way)

Keeping chickens as beloved pets requires allot more of a different type time and effort, but there seems to be allot more worry and fuss to the owners from what I have seen, but the rewards are still the same. What I mean (again in a good way) is that a sick hen or roo will get all the attention and effort one would give any family member while in our flock we cull sick or injured birds for several different reasons. We also rotate flocks at about 4 years old to freezer camp or give them away on Craigslist.

I say to the OP this will pass and you will feel better with less birds and a good deep breath, but one needs to decide why they are keeping chickens and go at it from that angle or say to heck with it. It is an addiction though and you would miss them eventually I think, especially the delicious eggs....

Disclaimer; Strictly my opinion of chicken keeping and keep in mind I am a tad old and a bit odd

 

[harveyhorses]

Glad to hear they are behaving! The heat makes everyone cranky, and slightly irrational (just got back from a drive to the store and I am being nice to blame the idiots driving on heat)
I have avoided chicken math because I have done horse math. Your OP reminded me of the night I went to feed our 13 horses, and it took almost 2 hours and ended in tears, one bully mare.

aanyway, put a wet towel on front of a fan and blow it on you to keep cool at night.
I think your idea of downsizing is a good one, enjoy your flock.

 

[technodoll]

Quote:
The flocks have been a big part of our life since we got them two years ago... even though they are "my" hobby and I have 90% responsibility for their care and keeping, hubby is the one that calms me when things go wrong, he's the one that culls the terminally ill or injured birds, he will tell me to breathe and take a break before making any big decisions i will later regret, he helps when things go bad like decontaminating coops or administering meds or chasing rogue chooks... (he secretly loves those birds, i tell you!)

i don't think anyone can manage such a thing on their own - i know i certainly couldn't, it's too much physically, emotionally and financially.

every chook has a name and a reason for being part of the flock, which makes it very hard to downsize although i've been working hard at it the past few weeks.

the good news is that i have made friends in the process and know my birds have gone to really good homes, i get updates and photos from some of them which helps a lot.

i just wish sometimes that they were "just chickens", you know?

i'm too darn sensitive