Seemed simple but the more I know.......

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janiedoe said:
Hello again.
While I agree with others, that many threads here are started to request help, I'd also say that chickens are not for everyone.
Being "old" is often a state of mind, but it also places some limitations on life decisions.
I'd ask you, to ask yourself, these questions:
1. Can I care for a flock? (bend, stretch, lift bags of feed)
2. Can I provide for them. (A coop and run, with plenty of space and comfort)
3. What will happen if I'm sick and unable to care for them?
Do you have a friend or family member to help out?
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Good to hear from someone who understand that age DOES change your decision-making priorities. In *years*, I consider myself "old" (75), but I still do everything I ever did, just not as quickly or as easily. I'm a young 75, but I am also realistic, and I know that it's all downhill from here, LOL. 40 years ago, I'd have built my own damn coop!! LOL. But I am able to bend, stoop, lift, etc. And mentally, I'm still a child, LOL. Yep... never grew up, and for that I'm grateful!! LOL.
I can take care of the run and coop and make it secure. I'm YUGE on safety, etc, so I will go overboard on that, as usual, LOL. As for anyone to help... no. I have friends but not in the neighborhood. Fortunately, I'm rarely sick... not sick enough to shirk my responsibilities, anyhow. If that were to happen long term, I could farm my chickens out to my friends. Thank you for thinking of some of the same considerations that are swirling around in my pea-brain!
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DobieLover said:
Hello again.
Yes, lots of things can happen with chickens. But the best prevention is proper housing, environment, feed/water and protection from predators.
So... my first piece of advice is to return the coop if you haven't already assembled it.
Instead spend this time trying to find a used shed or maybe you have your own shed on your property you can use and convert that into a coop instead. Most people know someone that can do some minor carpentry work to install a pop door, ventilation, windows and simple poop boards with roosts over them. Being able to walk in the coop to tend to the birds is so much easier than having to stoop over with a pre-fab.
Then you can install electric poultry netting for a pen connected to the coop, preferably with some shelter inside the pen, like a large shrub or something like that.

I'm not really old but I'm "older" and my setup makes it truly easy to manage my flock. I've only had one predator loss in their pen. From a hawk. I lost a young, inexperienced pullet.
It only takes me 15 minutes total from walking out the door to walking back in to change their water, feed them, turn them out and clean the poop boards each morning. That's it. Another 3 minutes in the evening to lock them up and do head count.
Feed them a complete diet and always have fresh clean water and keep the treats to a really low roar and you will avoid most issues with malnourished and overweight birds.
Give them a large run and they will get lots of exercise.
If you keep your flock size small, that will reduce the chances of health issues.
If you choose breeds with normal egg production instead of hybrids that have been created to crank eggs out like mini factories, you will avoid a lot of the health issues caused by reproductive tract failures.
Chicken are truly enjoyable, endearing creatures and I cannot imagine entering retirement without a flock. Don't give up. Keep asking questions. The more you read about these issues that have you concerned the more prepared you will be.
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My first response to your idea of returning the unopened coop was to skip the rest of what you wrote 😠, because the first thing I thought was, "well, I have no shed and I can't build one". But in my heart, I know this small coop is going to complicate the issue, so I decided to consider your idea. I have a neighbor who *might* be convinced to build me a coop for pay and for future eggs. (I am very independent and I have *LOTS* of trouble asking ppl to help me). He's out of town now, but I'm going to ask him when he gets back in a few weeks. I'll look at some free plans and see if I have room for a walk-in coop in the place where I want to locate it. I plan to get a predator resistant (because NOTHING is predator PROOF!) poultry pen to pub the coop in, so my chicks can be as safe as possible. Your advice (including the part that initially made me mad, LOL) is spot on and full of great points. I'm copying and pasting for further encouragement.
 
Alagirl said:
welcome.
I am new to the journey myself and have to remind me that people seldom post to say 'oh, great day, nothing happened, all chicks are well and healthy, none got killed by a fox/hawk/dog/bear.
So the forum is likely very skewed in this perspective.

Even having spent a small fortune on the enclosure (I can't build right now either) and 2 sets of chicks, I am excited about this journey. I never thought I'd be having chickens. They are really funny critters, well worth the trouble.
And I don't have any eggs yet!
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Excellent point that ppl don't post to say everything is perfect, LOL. :goodpost: Sometimes I need that thump on my head, LOL.
 
Ben Lynnsy said:
Good to hear from someone who understand that age DOES change your decision-making priorities. In *years*, I consider myself "old" (75), but I still do everything I ever did, just not as quickly or as easily. I'm a young 75, but I am also realistic, and I know that it's all downhill from here, LOL. 40 years ago, I'd have built my own damn coop!! LOL. But I am able to bend, stoop, lift, etc. And mentally, I'm still a child, LOL. Yep... never grew up, and for that I'm grateful!! LOL.
I can take care of the run and coop and make it secure. I'm YUGE on safety, etc, so I will go overboard on that, as usual, LOL. As for anyone to help... no. I have friends but not in the neighborhood. Fortunately, I'm rarely sick... not sick enough to shirk my responsibilities, anyhow. If that were to happen long term, I could farm my chickens out to my friends. Thank you for thinking of some of the same considerations that are swirling around in my pea-brain! View attachment 3201671
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Sounds like your ready!
There are many inexpensive, easy to build coops on ByC. Our members can help you plan, based on your location, budget, and skill level.
If your neighbor is willing to help, you're ahead of the game.
 
Ben Lynnsy said:
So I'm new here today. I bought a coop the other day (I can't build one myself, because I'm old and I have no help), and I'm planning to get some chickens in the spring. I'm going to use that time to seal my coop and address any vulnerabilities I can identify, so when I DO get chicks, they will be safe and dry. For the past week, I've been deep in the chicken "rabbit hole", reading and researching and making lists of "dos and don't" and writing down tips from other ppl who have experience. I have a couple friends who have chickens, and based on what I hear from them it seems so easy and simple to have a small flock. But then I read about all the tragedies involving predators, and all the "sick chicken" posts (prolapse, eggs broken inside the chick, bumblefoot, etc) and it seems really scary. I'm a nurse, so I know ppl illness, and I have a pup, so I kinda know dog things, but chickens are not like anything I've even dealt with. It's kind of intimidating, all the bad things that can happen to a chicken, whether predator-wise or illness. Having 2nd thoughts.
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Welcome.

It can be hard at times, but it is well worth it. Chickens can be as friendly as a dog, are fun to watch, and a good source of food. In my opinion, the pris out weigh the cons
 

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