Information Overload + Analysis Paralysis

[Ridgerunner]

I hadn't thought about rats. I will have to look into how prevalent they are in my area.

I don't like to frighten you but I think you need reality. Talk to your local animal control to see what potential predators are in your area. Even if you are urban, in Wisconsin I'd be amazed if you don't have rats, possums, raccoons, skunks, fox, wildcats, coyotes, weasels, hawks, owls, and the most common threat, both feral and pet dogs. You hardly ever see them. Part of that is that most mostly come out at night but they are excellent at hiding and are often kept away by human activity.

Most of us in North America have most of these as a threat, even in urban areas. Just because they are there does not mean that they will attack at once. They don't, many of us can go quite a while without an issue. But that potential is always there. You never know when they will strike.

This goes back to where this thread started. You get a lot of storis of the disasters, predators not attacking is not a story so you don't hear about those. Dad had a flock that free ranged in the middle of the country. Some slept in trees. Predators were all around. In all the years of my growing up we had two predator attacks, a fox and a dog. Both were shot.

I don't like frightening you but I do ask that you take predator protection seriously. Especially at night.

 

[BeckyRK1974]

I think we might be the same person!

I didn't figure I was the only one who overthinks and over-researches everything until light bulbs go off that no matter what it will all be just fine.

Chickens are huge jerks, to each other and sometimes to you. Don't take it personally.

I have been picking up on this with all the posts, articles and videos I have consumed over the past several weeks. LOL. I promise not to take it personally, but am hoping that my first flock has some grace for this 1st time chicken mama. I ordered 3 Buff Orpington and 3 Easter Eggers. Seems like everything I have read about those two breeds say they are good choices for first timers.

Thank you for the feed recommendation. I wondered about how changing brands may affect them. And I appreciate the words of encouragement. I sure hope I don't have any losses despite being my first time, but am also preparing myself just in case.

Your garden layout looks amazing and I wish I had that much space!

Thanks! The windmill in the center aerates a very large pond we put in the first year we lived here to manage water, and the garden is on the east side just about 6 feet from the rock edge. The goal is to eventually figure out a way to pump water out of the pond to water the garden, but until then I have to haul the hose. My husband invested a good chunk of money on some light weight hoses to connect together because I have about 150' from the spigot to the furthest bed away. But it was worth positioning it near the pond. Even if I don't ever figure out using it for watering, it's very peaceful back there.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Thanks! The windmill in the center aerates a very large pond we put in the first year we lived here to manage water, and the garden is on the east side just about 6 feet from the rock edge. The goal is to eventually figure out a way to pump water out of the pond to water the garden, but until then I have to haul the hose. My husband invested a good chunk of money on some light weight hoses to connect together because I have about 150' from the spigot to the furthest bed away. But it was worth positioning it near the pond. Even if I don't ever figure out using it for watering, it's very peaceful back there.

I've got the same hose lengths on both sides of the house and it's misery fighting with them. Do you have any pics of the windmill setup??

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
We started with a few chickens many years ago, and learned how to do things over time, often from failures on our part.
Protecting them from predators, very important. Lots of good advice already here.
Build big! We've added to our coop three times, and it includes a relatively small enclosed roofed run, because often the flock can't be outside, either over a raptor visitation, or right now about avian influenza, a very real risk here and many other places.
Food: a good quality chick starter or all flock feed labeled for chicks also, with recent mill dates. Check each bag before you take it home, and feed within two months of the mill date if at all possible. Those cute little bags of feed are not worth buying, even for a six or eight chicks! Many breed types of chickens take about three pounds of good feed per pound of weight gain, so six chicks growing to six pounds each, 36 pounds of chicken x 3 = over 100 pounds of feed, not counting wastage! But the 50 lb bags, fresh, and store in a metal garbage can, out of the wet.
Ventilation! Many prebuilt coop are underventilated and too dark inside. Pictures of your planned coop.
Yes to having SAFE electrical access is so good, we had ours done by a licensed electrician a few years ago, including a buried line to the coop, all up to code, better than our 'pretty good' set-up, when our insurance company sent out an inspector.
Most home owner's policies do not cover livestock, which includes chickens, and one of the farm companies doesn't cover chickens either. Having your coop destroyed or anyone injured by a bird, not covered by your policy could be very bad.
Chickens are fun! Too much negative info here, sorry. Enjoy the cute little guys, and those madly expensive first eggs, and post pictures!
Mary

 

[Birdinhand]

I don't like to frighten you but I think you need reality. Talk to your local animal control to see what potential predators are in your area. Even if you are urban, in Wisconsin I'd be amazed if you don't have rats, possums, raccoons, skunks, fox, wildcats, coyotes, weasels, hawks, owls, and the most common threat, both feral and pet dogs. You hardly ever see them. Part of that is that most mostly come out at night but they are excellent at hiding and are often kept away by human activity.

Most of us in North America have most of these as a threat, even in urban areas. Just because they are there does not mean that they will attack at once. They don't, many of us can go quite a while without an issue. But that potential is always there. You never know when they will strike.

This goes back to where this thread started. You get a lot of storis of the disasters, predators not attacking is not a story so you don't hear about those. Dad had a flock that free ranged in the middle of the country. Some slept in trees. Predators were all around. In all the years of my growing up we had two predator attacks, a fox and a dog. Both were shot.

I don't like frightening you but I do ask that you take predator protection seriously. Especially at night.

100%. You don’t have a predator problem until you provide the meals. How many times I’ve heard people say “I haven’t heard of that being a problem around me… referring to their neighbors who don’t have chickens and don’t free range. The smell of the chickens carries on the breeze for miles, like a homing beacon. It’s not if but when…

 

[BeckyRK1974]

I do ask that you take predator protection seriously.

Thank you for all that information! I don't get scared too terribly easy. I would rather be prepared than caught off guard. I have kept this topic in the front of my thoughts, for sure. Everything in your list I have considered except for weasels and rats. I haven't heard anyone talk about either of those things. Checking with animal control is a great suggestion that I had not thought of, so thank you for that. I will definitely get in touch with them!

I have also wondered about the cat I used to see walk through the yard a few years ago...haven't seen it since then, but I know that doesn't mean anything. My local area doesn't have bobcats or other bigger cats like that, but I will be sure to look into where their habitats all are.

I have seen information how to incorporate dig guards to fenced areas, so I'm prepared to figure that in to the set up once the coop delivers next month. My backyard will be fenced in this Spring also, although it will be hard to do dig guards on that. But the fenced area that will surround the chickens and my garden will for sure have dig guards.

I think I have enough time to get this all in place before I get the chicks. My pick-up date is July 8, and they will be 1-2 days old. I truly am doing my best to be as prepared as possible, and appreciate all the help this thread has given me.

 

[BeckyRK1974]

Welcome!
We started with a few chickens many years ago, and learned how to do things over time, often from failures on our part.
Protecting them from predators, very important. Lots of good advice already here.
Build big! We've added to our coop three times, and it includes a relatively small enclosed roofed run, because often the flock can't be outside, either over a raptor visitation, or right now about avian influenza, a very real risk here and many other places.
Food: a good quality chick starter or all flock feed labeled for chicks also, with recent mill dates. Check each bag before you take it home, and feed within two months of the mill date if at all possible. Those cute little bags of feed are not worth buying, even for a six or eight chicks! Many breed types of chickens take about three pounds of good feed per pound of weight gain, so six chicks growing to six pounds each, 36 pounds of chicken x 3 = over 100 pounds of feed, not counting wastage! But the 50 lb bags, fresh, and store in a metal garbage can, out of the wet.
Ventilation! Many prebuilt coop are underventilated and too dark inside. Pictures of your planned coop.
Yes to having SAFE electrical access is so good, we had ours done by a licensed electrician a few years ago, including a buried line to the coop, all up to code, better than our 'pretty good' set-up, when our insurance company sent out an inspector.
Most home owner's policies do not cover livestock, which includes chickens, and one of the farm companies doesn't cover chickens either. Having your coop destroyed or anyone injured by a bird, not covered by your policy could be very bad.
Chickens are fun! Too much negative info here, sorry. Enjoy the cute little guys, and those madly expensive first eggs, and post pictures!
Mary
View attachment 4081841

Thank you for the pictures! They are so cute, and that mama is so beautiful!!

Below is a picture similar to what I'm getting, but it isn't exact. Mine will be a Quaker style, so the pitch of the roof is a little different than pictured. It will also have the nesting boxes, man door & chicken door all raised up to allow 10" of space for deep litter method. There will also be ventilation slots at the peaks on each short end that the one in this picture doesn't have. I'm pretty sure it needs more than that, but I will address that when it delivers. And it will be a 6' x 8' coop which will be raised 18" so they can go underneath for some shade and overhead protection. I will for sure be utilizing hardware cloth around the area under the coop so nothing can get in or under. I've got most of the plan for predator protection figured out.

As for windows on the one I'm getting, I know there are 2 nice big windows above the nesting boxes. This picture has none on the wall opposite the boxes, but I don't recall if the one I'm getting is the same or not. There is for sure a window on the short wall opposite the man door. Worst case I will just have to add more windows after it's here. Once it delivers I'll try to remember to come back to this thread and add pictures of it. And of course there will eventually be pics of the babies.

 

[BeckyRK1974]

Do you have any pics of the windmill setup?

The best I have is video walk-thrus I made for a friend of mine, and I forgot they can't be attached to the post. I'm going to try to take some screen shots from the video. I'll edit again to add them in just moment.

Okay...edited again to add photos. The overall view is looking North and the other is showing the aeration tubing. It was installed via a trench before I had the raised garden beds there, and goes to a splitter because we needed two aerator stones for the size of our pond.

 

[BeckyRK1974]

100%. You don’t have a predator problem until you provide the meals. How many times I’ve heard people say “I haven’t heard of that being a problem around me… referring to their neighbors who don’t have chickens and don’t free range. The smell of the chickens carries on the breeze for miles, like a homing beacon. It’s not if but when…

I understand. My neighbor is going into her 3rd year with her flock of 4 hens, and we chat regularly so that's how I learned we had racoons. They had one sitting on their wood pile this past fall even though their backyard is fenced in. So they learned they had a vulnerable spot to address, and I was able to know that ahead of time. But other than that, they say they haven't encountered anything else. However, I am aware it just may not have happened yet so am happy to be informed of all potentials so I can avoid at least most of them.

 

[BeckyRK1974]

OH...and also for thecatumbrella: if you meant for watering the garden, I am sorry I misunderstood. I have yet to figure it out, but my husband was talking about looking into some sort of pump system, but I don't know what he was looking at exactly.