What do you wish you had known before you got your chickens

[Valk]

I wish I would have known about the cuteness factor. I'm a forever-changed woman, and twelve chickens may not be enough.

 

[Gardeningmama]

I love all my chickens but i wish i would have researched breeds a little more.. Right now i have a variety of sizes and assorted chickens.. egg layers, ornamental, etc. My main regret is rushing into getting the first chickens I could get my hands on! now I have 2 coops with 16 chickens and Even though my flock has grown from the 6 starter chickens I am still only averaging 1 to 2 eggs a day, with most of the chickens being of egg laying age I wish I would have stuck with the larger sized chicken who lay consistently. I could get rid of the ones who aren't laying but I have grown pretty attached and I will feel bad if I uproot my chickens and put them on craigslist or what not.

This is exactly what I was going to say. I got a terrible case of "The Gotta Have-It's" from the get go. I spent countless hours in pursuit of many breeds, only to regret it later and be stuck with them. I now have a bantam pen, and 2 coops (more advice: drastic age differences often don't mix well). After 2 years of much trial and error, I have almost gotten my flock where I want it, Large Breeds Only.

Concerning a certain hatching addiction I also developed, I would also recommend NOT going overboard here either, unless you have a reliable outlet for all of the unwanted roos that will hatch. Yep, they really do hatch at about 50/50. My property was over run with them. Then I realized that as no one wants them, I was having to sell in pairs & trios just to rehome them. Parting with my precious pullets and many times not even ending up with one bird left from those eggs I just had to have.

It is definitely trial and error, and the best advice I can give is to get a seasoned chicken friend, ask for advice and TAKE IT. It will save you quite a headache & a good bit of $$, LOL!

 

[Valk]

Wednesday, I was so excited to add my "perky" viewpoint, that I had only read the title and first sentence of your first post. I'm sorry if I sounded insensitive and in the future I'll read further before posting!

Anyway, you have my sympathy and I wish you the best of luck with your flock.

 

[fussypuss]

Wait me? I was just giving advice

 

[abcr]

The worry

 

[AllforaneggeK]

WOW! I definitely would have used DE before I was covered with itchy bites all over my body. Have had my 6 girls since March and this is my first "bad" experience with them. We were all fine until the rainy season. Their yard turned into a soggy, stinky, poopy mess so no dust bathes available for the girls. And then we suffered the wraith of the mites. Just dusted their yard and coop with the DE yesterday. Took me a couple of days to realize it wasn't fleas from my dogs. In the meantime, the mites feasted; bites from my neck down. They particularly like my "cracks and crevices'. The girls love the little box I filled with the DE and take turns dusting themselves. I'm about ready to join them. Thank goodness for BYC. They never let me down. I'm just a little slow knowing what ???? to ask.

 

[Wednesday]

Wednesday, I was so excited to add my "perky" viewpoint, that I had only read the title and first sentence of your first post. I'm sorry if I sounded insensitive and in the future I'll read further before posting!

Anyway, you have my sympathy and I wish you the best of luck with your flock.

Thank you your perky post was sweet and just fine. That was a very nice clarification. I am getting 24 chicks in October after neighbor's dogs killed 14 of my 16 hens last week. Thats the second time in 4 months neighborhood dogs (not the same ones) have killed my chickens while free-ranging on my property. Two different neighbors have compensated us both times but it is small consolation for the loss of the birds. The remaining two that survived from last week were culled over the weekend due to CRD. It's been a rocky road so far. I'm enjoying this thread very much and appreciate all the tips and suggestions. Keep them coming please.

 

[wendychicklawyr]

I would never use a heat lamp ( the cheap kind everyone uses) in my coop for heat ..it burned my first coop ..luckily I was home and no one was hurt ..I would also research common health issues ..I just bought new hens and one had a slow crop or was croup bound .. After 4 days of tending to her I came across an idea to withhold food and give bread soaked in oil ..better within hours ..but I quickly found there really aren't many vets that care for chickens

 

[HanwellChickens]

Build a coop you can gain easy access to every part of without twisting and turning your body to reach certin areas. And build a run that is tall enough for you to stand in so it's easier to clean.

That's what we just did. My husband measured me against the wall so the storage shelf would be high enough.

 

[alindm1]

Socialized with them a lot more! They need lots of love. One of my chickens that I held all the time now stays at my side when I walk around the yard. She stays at my side all the time and never leaves. When I coop them up at night and put her in the coop she jumps into the window and watches me leave. Then she goes back to ordinary life until the next morning when I let them out and she starts to follow me around again. I am never able to sleep in the grass or in lawn chair without her hopping up onto my stomach and sleeping with me. She is my love...