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

[SilkieMomma]

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I'm thinking that maybe downsizing would help you to feel less stressed. Just a thought.....

 

[technodoll]

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yes, that was my thought too.... keeping only my sweet banties, i can manage one flock...

the big girls flock (they are 30) are the ones driving me nuts.

i don't know how i ended up with so many - i'm an idiot

 

[ChooksChick]

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yes, that was my thought too.... keeping only my sweet banties, i can manage one flock...

the big girls flock (they are 30) are the ones driving me nuts.

i don't know how i ended up with so many - i'm an idiot

Not an idiot! Chickenmath will get us each at one point or another...

 

[NanaLantana]

Ah - chicken math got you - time to take inventory of your time, money, and what you can handle. Then make a decision, don't waffle, and tell yourself that you'll be OK with the decision you come up with. Then just do it. We're supposed to be good stewards of the piece of earth that God gave us - but that doesn't mean we fill it up to over capacity! Nobody's expected to take care of ALL the world's chickens!

 

[chi-rn]

Just some down-home for-what-it's-worth stuff. I agree that having a "trick up your sleeve" to get your flock to come to you is a good idea. For my adult girls, no matter what time of day, if I shake a plastic container of dried mealworms within their hearing range-- that's all it takes. They're obsessed with 'em & I always reward them generously for coming to the sound of the shake. Sometimes, I do have to move into their hearing range... but then I just continue to shake the container until they follow me like the pied piper. At the end of the journey is their pen (my reward) and a handful of worms thrown up into the air & scattering wide for their pecking pleasure (their reward). I'm still trying to figure what rocks the boat of my juveniles... dried mealworms doesn't do it for them... live crickets do, but it's hard to gather those up & shake them effectively. So for now, I use a long piece of aluminum house siding to corral them. It's quite effective.. I think they're a bit scared of it & I hold it close to the ground & pivot it back & forth to gather them up & head them in the right direction. They quickly get the idea & run to the pen for cover! That said... this should be an enjoyable passion for you. You couldn' t be faulted at all for downsizing to make if a more manageable & fun hobby. If you decide to rehome a few, maybe your local farm supply store will let you post a notice on their bulletin board. You can kind-of "interview" to make sure they go to a good adoptive home... maybe even request visitation rights, at least initially. I hope you get to keep your girls, but if you downsize... please don't feel guilty. You can't take care of your flock effectively if you don't have time to take care of you.

 

[ladyride]

I can certainly understand feeling stressed & at wit's end ,

it has been soo very hot; you have dealt with alot lately . It is easy to get overwhelmed when you are in the middle of dealing with everything. It is so hard to step back & just breathe . In the next couple of days try to take some time for you , take care of yourself like you have taken care of them.

When you can breathe & feel like your shoulders aren't touching your ears then you can come up with a plan that will work for you.

This is not easy but will help you get a little better perspective. You may decide to thin your flock for now, maybe not . Try some lights, some treats but it will take them some time to adjust to their new digs , we all know how chickeys love change.

Just know we are here for some support, advice, even someone to vent to like now. We all know you love your chickens you have been on so many paths with them lately it makes you feel like are they worth it. They are & so are you.

 

[technodoll]

you guys are gonna make me cry now!!

thanks so much for hearing me out, for understanding and for suggesting ways to make things work out...

i couldn't do it all without your support and encouragement!

i'm off to bed now and pray for a good night's sleep, the guilt at having treated my girls so badly tonight is eating me up like... well, like a bad red mite infestation

tell me, do birds forgive you for being yelled at, chased and punted around?

i feel like such a moron for losing my temper, they've been through so much the past two weeks too

 

[KinderKorner]

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I know exactly how you feel. I've lost several birds these last couple days with no warning. I have like over 100 birds and I get maybe 3 eggs a day. Someone is always getting hurt, or sick, or broody, or not laying, or whatever. I'm going through hundreds of dollars in a month on animal feed. I can never go anywhere. It really is getting old.

I'm thinking we should cut down. I'd probably be happy with just a small flock. But I jsut can't seem to decide who goes and stays.

 

[pjknust]

I feel this way sometimes, well, a lot. I have 5 older hens, 3 yr old. and I have 7- 9 wk old Buff Orp Pullets. ( I hope) Had I known we would be going thru the worst summer on record I would NOT have ordered these chicks til fall. When I got my first batch, it was late July and by Oct they were ready for the hen house to stay 24/7 til aclimated. No way can I put my new chicks out there in this heat. So I have been moving them around the yard finding shade. Ice in water noon, 2, 4 and 6. Watering the bushes and cool spots for young and old. Its wearing me down.
I also raise poodle puppies and wish Id never started that 7 years ago. Im not one to rehome, I just cant let go, its not in me. I live alone and all has to be done by me. I also have a grooming shop in my backyard. So I work full time, and do all this tending all thru out the day. So yeah, Im right there with ya.... TIRED AND HOT

pam in TX

 

[Yonaton]

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So don't raise chickens anymore. Pretty simple.