I think, if I had to do anything differently, I would have tried to discourage my mom from buying injured chicks/goslings/ducklings/etc. I understand the desire to own every injured/handicapped animal. You feel like a mother trying to save a baby from certain death. It's admirable...until you pass the buck onto your daughter. My mom has purchased about five different handicapped birds since we started out raising chickens. Two chicks, one duckling, one gosling and one full-grown male duck. All of the babies died because we couldn't give them the care they needed and the adult only survived because he was already about a year old. And though we could have been recompensated for the babies, Mom refused to give up on them even though she wasn't really working with them. Trust me, it sucks having to take care of handicapped chicks that you know aren't going to make it. It's got a way of making you feel horrible for not being able to cull your chicks.
Another thing: I'd probably invest more time with my chicks. When we originally started out, I wasn't around the chicks much because they weren't technically mine. Now, our older birds are a bit flighty. All their babies, however, are pretty great around me because I go outside everyday for a couple hours for feeding and maintenance. Some of our older hens have gotten better, though. I've had some that love to jump up next to me for treats. I would love for the entire flock to be like that.
