Lord help me, I'm a chicken farmer.

[AKsmama]

I'm a newbie myself, so I can't be of much help yet. But I really like the book Storey's Guide To Raising Chickens, the newly revised version by Gail Damerow. Lots of good general information there. I do agree about the addiction, to BYC and chickens. Our chicks aren't even two weeks old yet and I've already asked my husband if he would consider taking in "special needs chicks" from feed stores and battery hens, as well as plotting what other breeds of chickens I want in the future. Read everything here and you will learn lots!

 

[4 luv of eggs]

Chickens will consume your thoughts (gee that woman's hair is the same color as my partridge rock, or that would make a great nesting box). You will be buying extra food at the grocery store as treats for your babies. I bought a watermelon for mine and got upset when my daughter wanted to actually eat it. Chickens are messier than you thought, sweeter than you believed possible and more intelligent than you realize. Also, just because the hatcheries say it's a pullet doesn't neccesarily mean it is. I have an accidental rooster that was posing as a pullet when he was little. But mostly, you will fall in love with them.

 

[suburbanminifarm]

What do I wish I had known? Gosh, soooo much, BYC taught me everything. I guess I made a lot of mistakes, and learned from them. I guess I would say be more cautious than you think you need to be with chicks (marbles in their water dish, etc) and let them have supervised playtime in the grass even when very young. They are so fun to watch. Oh, and give them the best nutrition you possibly can! Good nutrition shows in the plumage and health of your girls.
I have a single Dominique, named "Doctor". We love her, she is one of my favorites. She has a "trick" she taught herself of walking up behind me and pecking me gently on the pants leg in a certain persistant way....she is asking to be picked up! She wants to be hugged often and I am happy to do it since doms seem to have lovely soft feathers.

 

[BantamoftheOpera]

Quote:
Hahaha. I did that the other day. The woman in the car infront of me looked like a Polish

 

[gryeyes]

I also recommend the Chickens for Dummies! book sold here in the BYC store (Robert Ludlow is one of the authors and he's Nifty-Chicken, the owner of BYC).

Check out BYC member noodleroo's BYC page on how to raise tame chicks. (Here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=55921 )

Anticipate the overwhelming desire to add more chicks of different breeds, or just a whole slew more of the same just to be surrounded by the fuzzybutt peeps!

Stand by for the sheer joy of finding your first egg, and then discovering you still feel that way about every other egg you find, every morning. Especially if you do get different breeds and the eggs are different colors!

Learn to casually excuse yourself for the bit of chicken poo with a feather stuck in it on the side of your shoe, someplace public.

Keep your camera charged and have plenty of spare memory cards.

Don't be surprised if you find yourself GATHERING bugs - like earwigs - for your chickens' enjoyment. Bugs have niacin - they're good for 'em. The best earwig trap is a loosely rolled section of newspaper, laid in the garden at night and dampened with a hose. Pick it up in the morning and unroll it in front of your flock. Wahoo!