Before you do anything, after you have your coop and run complete, think wild birds...
Chickens are soft lovable little creatures for sure, but they are tough as nails. The more you pamper them the weaker they get. By all means spend time with your chickens, socialize them, but we do not coddle them at all because it is not fair to the chicken. They have everything they need to survive in -40, snow, wind,ice, rain, all while living in trees, pecking ice and eating snow for water, and scratching for every morsel of food they can find. All while attempting to keep away from predators.
We coop them, and give them runs, plenty of food and water. A secure place to lay, and sleep. Above and beyond that it is optional, and most likely not beneficial (except spending time, and socializing them).
Other than that, before you react to a situation, get worried, go crazy, and don't know what to do... think pheasant, wild turkey, grouse or whatever. Take a deep breath, think about what is going on and act in a way that is in the best interest of the bird, not you.
And then, build a bigger coop cause you are gonna want 500 of the darn things. They are one of the coolest animals to raise, and we have raised a bunch of different kinds.
See my page for our philosophy if you care to, my wife and I have a great time with our birds, they are a kick in the pants, and not a burden what so ever!!!
Chickens are soft lovable little creatures for sure, but they are tough as nails. The more you pamper them the weaker they get. By all means spend time with your chickens, socialize them, but we do not coddle them at all because it is not fair to the chicken. They have everything they need to survive in -40, snow, wind,ice, rain, all while living in trees, pecking ice and eating snow for water, and scratching for every morsel of food they can find. All while attempting to keep away from predators.
We coop them, and give them runs, plenty of food and water. A secure place to lay, and sleep. Above and beyond that it is optional, and most likely not beneficial (except spending time, and socializing them).
Other than that, before you react to a situation, get worried, go crazy, and don't know what to do... think pheasant, wild turkey, grouse or whatever. Take a deep breath, think about what is going on and act in a way that is in the best interest of the bird, not you.
And then, build a bigger coop cause you are gonna want 500 of the darn things. They are one of the coolest animals to raise, and we have raised a bunch of different kinds.
See my page for our philosophy if you care to, my wife and I have a great time with our birds, they are a kick in the pants, and not a burden what so ever!!!