What did you have to learn the hard way? (management stuff)

[damselfish]

Build the coop bigger than you think you need it.

Have a poop plan, and keep ahead of it.

Store feed in secure containers.

Learn to recognize the "real" guinea alarm tone...just like you learn to tell a really distressed baby from a fussy one.

Don't buy straight run. Even sexed "pullets" will likely have plenty of roos for you.

That's all I can think of right now...

 

[rendonhen]

HAHAHA... actually I was SURPRISED with the little darlings. I fell in love with them right away (we spoiled them so bad). During the dust storms I was "saying what did we get into?" They are now 7 months old and still spoiled. The second and third batch are not as spoiled, but they were not kept in the house very long....Once they got about a month or so we built a brooder in the coop. My husband built three coops...he is a little chicken nuts LOL.
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[rendonhen]

UH NO you really can't What we were told was a chick (named Fancy) that turned into a roo. So meet Fancy the rooster.....LOL
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[7cutechix]

A 4'X8' chicken tractor will NOT fit 10 adult chickens and is really not an easy, great way to have a small backyard flock....we gave away 4 as they were growing and need to get a real coop built by 1st snow!!!! But it was a start!

 

[Daysiechicks]

ALWAYS check for lice/mites on new chicks before bringing them home.

Build your coop larger than you think you will need


This is a great thread by the way

 

[Junkmanme]

I've learned that although I'm very stubborn, I can't "out-stubborn" a broody hen....short of chick-o-cide!

VERY hard on my "male ego" !!

-Junkmanme-

 

[mandelyn]

Bathing a tame pet chicken is easier than bathing any other pet besides a parrot. Bathing a not-so-tame chicken... LOL

Make sure your chicken carrying box is secure and well away from the tailgate of your vehicle. For if you get rear-ended, the lid will come off and a police officer will be alerting you to the fact that roosters are crowing on the headrest of the seat. (first car of a 5 car pile-up on the highway... everyone lived, chickens included, who took a stroll around the car while waiting on everyone but me to get a ticket. Added humor where some was needed.)

Always cull your mean Roos... there's no reason to keep around attitude no matter how pretty he is.

A broody hen known for being very mean will face down a circling hawk and lose. Catching chicks you let a hen hatch after something traumatic happens to the hen... is a pain in the butt. I spent 3 hours moving a brush pile around after that hen flew off over the tree tops with the hawk.

Your dumbest hen will make the best adoptive mom. One hen sat on golfballs for MONTHS, when the afore mentioned chicks needed a new mom, I stuck them under her and held her on them for a moment, petting her and distracting her. (she was pretty stupid)... Let go of her, she lifted herself up to have a look, I swear she said "Finally!" and off she went with her adopted chicks from the long awaited golfball hatch.

A cattle dog will try her hardest to herd chickens. Roosters, will argue with the cattle dog, and you end up with a comical battle of wills, rooster versus determined herding dog. To ease the suffering brain of the herding dog, it's best to call the chickens back and let her think she did it. Supposing the cattle dog is chicken trained and knows to not touch them.

Never buy chicks from flea market dealers... mites, colds, infections... the only time it's ok is if it's from someone who has healthy looking birds, in clean cages, in small numbers. Anyone who shows up with a dirty truck load... don't even touch them.

Don't help a chick out of the egg unless it's the very last of the hatching process and it's been more than the standard amount of time. I mean like, one more little peck and it's free. If they can't get out most of the way on their own, you don't want them to come out.

 

[ZepChick]

I have learned that everything wants to eat chickens!! Also, there was far more predator proofing than we anticipated. Lastly, thay my daughter and I would become ADDICTED to BYC big time. Even though my posts don't reflect it, I am always on here, posting or not ~ Kim

 

[dixiechick]

I learned that the hidden cost of a $2 chick is actually around $20,000 after all is said and done....

$2 chick = $800 coop with plenty of room to grow...

which means, add more chickens...this time the high-end show chickens ($50-$100 a piece)....they breed and need more space....

which means, DH gets into the mix and starts planning a $20,000 barn (because, of course, we can use the space)....

If past behavior is the best indicator of future behavior, I doubt this barn is the "caboose" of the train we are on!!!!

 

[warmfuzzies]

You really, really, really can have too many. Free range chickens will wander far if you have too many...

Little kids should learn very early to take off shoes at the door, or you WILL be sweeping poop all day.

No one wants to eat that rooster they saw running around yesterday, not even big tough hubbys. But give it a few days.....

Broodyness is contagious. It all starts with one....

They really do stop laying when they molt, and it can take a l o n g time. especially when they are going broody too.....

You will HATE buying eggs in the fall, and you will have too many eggs in the spring. No matter how many hens you have!