Things you wish you knew starting out?

[AllenK RGV]

You sound set for medical supplies!
I wish I would have known how many dogs were running loose in my neighborhood looking for chickens! That was my biggest problem, dogs getting in my yard and killing my chickens. I would have built a much more secure coop. That is what I plan to do this time around. Also, the coop will be bigger this time!
This time, I will try to only have one breed. I kept having to segregate one or another from picking on smaller & different breeds. I might have to segregate hens from roosters, but at least I hope not to need 6 different pens for different breeds like I ended up with last go-round! (Here's hoping I stick to this resolution, BYC is not very good for this)!
This time I want to have more room to rotate their run to fresh grass, to have them on fresh pasture more. I want to grow some of their feed, too. I went through a lot of bags of chicken feed! Maybe learn to ferment & sprout.

Sounds like you have a good chicken subtraction plan. I decided to just start with this one breed I like them alot and got lucky for personalities. Supposedly some people pet them. I have no clue how that works but I never allowed them to perch on me when they were young so guess I'll never know. I'm working on subtracting 5 roos from my flock as I only have the two for sure pullets with one iffy looking one still. It isn't due to space at all just more experience people told me my gals are going to catch #$%! if I don't lose those roo's. So I'm trying for a trio of my best atm. As far as rotating the run to fresh grass I would need to build a tractor to accomplish that goal. I can barely get mine to leave the pen unless it is cool outside and then they seem to hug the fenceline and not listen to me much when I'm trying to show them the thick prime bug grass. They refuse to leave their pen as well without supervision, but I can understand their point as we have been buzzed 2x now by hawks.

As far as the neighborhood dogs if you have a chain link fence you can use 12" lawn staples to pin down the bottom of the fencing so nothing but rabbits get in our out. We had to do that here used the entire order of 1000 lawn staples($95 direct from manufacturer including shipping) we used the entire 1000 for a 1 acre fenceline. Our purpose was actually to keep our dogs on the property but now with chicken I am glad it is done to keep coyotes out.

 

[Parront]

Sounds like you have a good chicken subtraction plan. I decided to just start with this one breed I like them alot and got lucky for personalities. Supposedly some people pet them. I have no clue how that works but I never allowed them to perch on me when they were young so guess I'll never know. I'm working on subtracting 5 roos from my flock as I only have the two for sure pullets with one iffy looking one still. It isn't due to space at all just more experience people told me my gals are going to catch #$%! if I don't lose those roo's. So I'm trying for a trio of my best atm. As far as rotating the run to fresh grass I would need to build a tractor to accomplish that goal. I can barely get mine to leave the pen unless it is cool outside and then they seem to hug the fenceline and not listen to me much when I'm trying to show them the thick prime bug grass. They refuse to leave their pen as well without supervision, but I can understand their point as we have been buzzed 2x now by hawks.

Well, I have read a lot of posts on here where people have many different breeds and they get along fine. My experience was different -- I had many different breeds at first.
Then, I had to save a runt Orpington from the Brown Leghorns who ate his tail completely off! One separate pen. Then, too many roosters, another pen. Then the roosters decided that they did not like the Sultan's hair-doo, another bird in a separate cage. Then the big hens got separated from the Leghorns. Then I wanted a pen for breeding those beautiful brown leghorns. You see how it goes?
So, my new resolution to find a breed I like and just get that one. I will still need 2 or 3 pens! And a plan to lay out the ground for "pasture" for them, like the horse people do, only in miniature!

 

[AllenK RGV]

Parrot I just did an edit to my post please read last paragraph just edited in for roaming dog ideas.

 

[Parront]

As far as the neighborhood dogs if you have a chain link fence you can use 12" lawn staples to pin down the bottom of the fencing so nothing but rabbits get in our out. We had to do that here used the entire order of 1000 lawn staples($95 direct from manufacturer including shipping) we used the entire 1000 for a 1 acre fenceline. Our purpose was actually to keep our dogs on the property but now with chicken I am glad it is done to keep coyotes out.

Yes, our 1/2 acre was chain link fenced. They dug under in places I could not even reach! Next chicken yard gets electric fencing, which I did not know was an option back then. I had chickens later and the Brittany dog did a complete 180 when her nose hit that fence! I will never have a chicken run with out that again, forgot that one!

 

[AllenK RGV]

Well, I have read a lot of posts on here where people have many different breeds and they get along fine. My experience was different -- I had many different breeds at first.
Then, I had to save a runt Orpington from the Brown Leghorns who ate his tail completely off! One separate pen. Then, too many roosters, another pen. Then the roosters decided that they did not like the Sultan's hair-doo, another bird in a separate cage. Then the big hens got separated from the Leghorns. Then I wanted a pen for breeding those beautiful brown leghorns. You see how it goes?
So, my new resolution to find a breed I like and just get that one. I will still need 2 or 3 pens! And a plan to lay out the ground for "pasture" for them, like the horse people do, only in miniature!

Sandbaggy.com was the manufacturer for the lawn staples, vheaper than Amazon, ebay, and definately home depot.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Yes, our 1/2 acre was chain link fenced. They dug under in places I could not even reach! Next chicken yard gets electric fencing, which I did not know was an option back then. I had chickens later and the Brittany dog did a complete 180 when her nose hit that fence! I will never have a chicken run with out that again, forgot that one!

I suspect the electric fencing would be less labor intensive than driving in 500 of those staples! But for us done is done.

 

[Parront]

In shopping for a place, I came across this one, and saved a photo since it approaches what I want to do for next chicken set-up

I like the shade and different runs, just need more access to the grass.

 

[Parront]

I could see you needing that saddle for your hens in just a trio. You might want to put some more hens in there to take some pressure off of the breeding stock. Maybe some with a different color egg so you could just hatch the pedigree you want. What breed are you raising?

 

[AllenK RGV]

I could see you needing that saddle for your hens in just a trio. You might want to put some more hens in there to take some pressure off of the breeding stock. Maybe some with a different color egg so you could just hatch the pedigree you want. What breed are you raising?

Oh yes I agree I am trying to get my sumatra hens, Ideal says order Jan pickup in Feb, a private breeder of SQ LF in north texas I offered $20 for their cull hens no idea if they will take me up on it told em all I care about is yellow feet. I want Texas reared hens as some of the Meyer's(OH) ones are constantly looking heat stressed. I feel I need approximately 10 fowl to help keep the natural nasties eaten or deprived of a food source. As soon as I can get those pullets sourced from somewhere they are going to be segregated(if private aquisitions I trust Ideals to not require isolation) until I know they are good then integrated to the flock.

 

[Parront]

Being in Arizona, I see a few people here have heat hardy breeds. I am leaning towards some Naked Necks from Desertchick she has been breeding them to lay colored eggs. Big enough to eat, and pretty eggs. Not for show or anything fancy like a Sumatra, since I have a parrot for that!