Official BYC Poll: What Is Your Least Favorite Thing About Keeping Chickens?

[SueT]

Least favorite is chicken chores on very cold winter days!

 

[InterestingChickens]

I don't mind cleaning out, I feel like a have achieved at the end.

My least favourite part about keeping chickens is bumblefoot. It has really been a struggle to get to this point, where it's nearly healed.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I was going to say dealing with food and water every morning, but that really the ducks. The chickens are much easier to manage.

It's my rooster right now. He's teeny and cute, but he hates me and tries to kill me regularly. If I didn't feel responsible for the little creep, he'd be gone.

But I know that illness/death of my birds will be the hardest/worst aspect by far.

 

[3KillerBs]

* I dislike gathering cu yds of leaf litter a couple times a year to fill the hen houses and throw in the run - particularly in summer, when there isn't much leaf litter on the ground, its hot, and its stupid humid.

I chose poop (it's everywhere!) and feeding/watering because both of these chores must be completed regardless of how hot it is. Feels like hell down here in Texas most of the time.

These are the days that I remind myself that I'm not carrying water in below-freezing weather.

 

[Araucana Nest]

The lack of homes for cockerels pretty much seals their fate and that’s really hard because so many are just beautiful and well behaved but the first least favorite thing is death.

 

[Shezadandy]

Because I'm there already. Do they have food? do they have water? The pen is muddy and so are the eggs! are comments I get regularly. I get frustrated sometimes.
I know i'm retired now and should have time on my hands to do all the things I "Need" to do but she said she would take care of the birds and rarely does what is needed.
Off My Soapbox

Time to put the coop in a completely separate area way away from the goat pen for "Mrs. Wolfe" to care for (where it's no longer in a convenient place for YOUR set of chores).

Maybe do a run with 1.5" gravel thick enough to conquer the mud, then 3/4" on top of that, and either sand or the really fine gravel to help drainage and getting rid of mud.

Gravel works pretty good for predator protection too, if packed gravel is on both sides of the fence.

There are some more automated things that can be added - auto pop door - a 7 gallon waterer has provided a nice back-up around here should my water pans get knocked over etc. and there are many ways to do auto-feeders to minimize how often it needs to be filled.

But at the end of the day - if the simple joy of being out and around the chickens isn't enough to engage her interests - I can't blame you for calling it quits there.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Chicken wire around my 1/4 acre garden keeps them out!

The 1/4 acre (or so) former garden is now their run. We don't mind. We're not really gardeners any more anyway.

 

[ShweeB1229]

I only have 3 girls and am working from home so I have ample time *at the moment* to poop scoop (3×/daily), refresh everything & supervise foraging (1-3 hrs/daily), all of which are part of a welcome routine. However, my biggest anxiety-inducer is the thought of predators. I cannot tell you how many times I obsessively check the many locks I have on the coop & run or turn my eyes to the sky & woods throughout the day. My dad is thankfully going to help me upgrade the coop & run before winter so that I can feel more confident that my girls are safe & secure, always. I don't have children by the way & cannot fathom the stress level any human AND chicken mama has on the daily. You are warriors!

 

[SueT]

I came up with this new verse to the old Joni Mitchell song,
Both Sides Now:

Rows of fluffy clucking hens
And baby chicks to show your friends
And piles of fresh eggs without end....
I’ve looked at chickens that way.

But now they only make me frown
They brood, they fight,
There’s a raccoon around,
And more and more they tie me down
They’re often in the way...

I’ve looked at chickens from both sides now
From up and down, but still somehow
It’s chicken illusions I recall....
I really don’t know chickens, at all......

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I...
[ ] Deep Litter
[ ] Have an abundance of space
[ ] Use an Electric Fence (and a loss or several doesn't cost me much)
[ ] Maintain a closed flock in a remote area
[ ] Use the rainfall (1"/wk average) to keep a 275 gal tote water filled
[ ] Leave the run doors open more often than not, and only close the coop for hurricanes (Cat 2+)
[ ] Enjoy chicken dinners
[ ] Yup, this is the one*
[ ] Chances are, i caused it. With a sharp knife.

* I dislike gathering cu yds of leaf litter a couple times a year to fill the hen houses and throw in the run - particularly in summer, when there isn't much leaf litter on the ground, its hot, and its stupid humid.

Otherwise, the flock is low maintenance.