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

[babygirl5719]

is there any way you can just go on a smaller scale, that is if you really want to keep chickens? I thought about starting out with 10-15 chickens but re-thought the number of them and started with 2, now I have 4 and that is so manageable for me...i'm getting between 4 to 5 eggs a day, cleaning is easy and i actually enjoy going out to the pen every day as watering and feeding is not a chore and the flock is small enough that my kids can manage it when I don't feel like going out there....sorry about the craziness you're experiencing though...

 

[sourland]

Is the migraine better? I've had one for 3 days now and know exatly how you feel. I call them the 'monster' and they are attitude wreckers. If after the migraine goes away you are still on overload, cut back on your venture. Maybe it's just too much.

 

[Pele]

I am so happy that things ended well for you technodoll!

I am offering this peice of advice in the spirit of really wanting you to never have to go through any of this again:

Keeping animals is not an intuitive activity most of the time. Thousands of years of a learning curve got humanity where it is now, and animal husbandry has much to improve even now. Yet the lure of animals, and the the excitement of them lure a lot of people into getting as many as they can as fast as they can (I am guilty in the past of doing this exact thing).

But something that will help you IMMENSELY in the future is research, research, research, research. Preventative measures are worth 50 times the amount of fixes. Preventing mites is SO much easier than getting rid of them. Introducing your coop to your girls in the right manner that works with their instincts is SO much easier than trying to force them in a way that goes against what they naturally do. Knowing ahead of time the realistic number of chickens you can handle ahead of getting them is SO much better than being overwhelmed and taking it out on your birds.

I really feel for your pain, but when you say "Man! This heat is giving me a headache and I'm mad at my girls for bieng difficult!", stop to think "Hey, if I'M hot and miserable, so are my girls. They don't even get air-conditioning, and probably are really upset that this screaming giant is bullying them around in this heat. I'm probably lucky they don't have tiny chicken guns."

I know it's hard, but please please please don't get mad at your hens when it's a situation where a little bit of research on your part could have prevented the situation. It's not their fault in any way shape or form, even though they're a tempting target. That's the responsibility that people take on when they decide to have animals. You're the higher being with reasoning and resources that they don't have.

Again, I'm not trying to criticize you, and lord knows I've made the same mistakes. Just trying to help you make your chicken experience a better one, so you can relax and have a glass of wine more often

.

 

[chickenlovefever]

Glad things turned out for ya.
Truely, I have had the problems you are going through. I am younger, yes, and I keep pulling my hair out over my birds. I invest my own work money into my chickens, and have to work for money to buy my own school clothes. I am in high school and school's about to start, And I found out my birds have lice. I have been freaking slam out over it, have gone through treatment and just about everything. I have 30 some babies, and I didn't want them getting lice, and I treat them just about every week to ensure they don't have it.
YOU Should downsize, because thats what I strted doing. I'm just gonna keep 4 out of 14 of my ault chickens, all of the others are goin'. I am so relieved now, knowing that once these chickens are gone, I can thoroughly clean out the coop and and ensure my remaining four chickens are clean and happy. I am so excited, and I can't wait until these demons are gone!

I plan on adding onto the run, and just raising my little chicks from there. No more roosters, Just me and my hens.

 

[technodoll]

Sourland, yes the beast of a migraine is gone (for now), the crazy weather & barometric pressure has made a lot of people miserable lately...

I wonder if chickens get headaches too??

Pele, every day I learn something new about chickens - and I thought I had things under control, HA! and yes in my logical mind it's "my poor babies, it's not their fault, I have to protect them and make their lives better, I hate how they suffer" and then the raging sleep-deprived headachy hormone-ridden mess that I've been lately takes over and GAAAAH life would be SO much simpler without this responsibility and work and stress and and and!

I battle with this pretty much every week.

The joy and love of chickens and the passion of the hobby VS a clean, simple life with much less responsibilities and stress.

I'd miss those little buggers so much though...

 

[southerndesert]

Sure am glad things have smoothed out some for you and best of luck!