What do you wish you'd have known when you started?

[Rillion]

Hey all,

I'm curious about what you discovered in the process of turning eggs into egg-laying chickens, and any step along the way, that was a surprise to you and that you wish you'd known from the outset-- what mistakes you made that you might have avoided if you'd had better information. If you'd had the ultimate supreme guru of chickens next to you when you got into this in the first place, what do you wish you had asked-- and what answer do you think he/she would have given?

 

[PurpleChicken]

Have patience when hatching and keep your hands out after day 18.

 

[chickenbottom]

i wish i knew how much they cost me in food

lol

 

[omelette'smom]

Candle them!!

 

[SunAngel]

I wish I had known to put running water and electricity to all the chicken/duck coops.

I wish I had known to build my duck pond in a better location with a drain in it so I didn't have to deal with flooding after each rain storm.

I wish I had covered my runs to cut down on the puddles and sloppyness and so the chickens could be outside more without getting drowned when it rains.

I wish I had made a row of coops with the runs all next to each other...instead of the compound I created with a maze of doors (which is fun and different, but can be time consuming)

I wish I had made a brooder coop just for the babies and then a another coop and run to grow out juvies.

I wish cocci was easier to get rid of and knew how my chicks in the brooder keep getting it!

I wish I had gotten a better incubator than a stillair LG...lots of wasted eggs! And how addicting incubating is lol.

and lastly, I wish I had known there were so many breeds of chickens I would want and how hard it would be to part with them when you order/buy too many. Or how much it would drive me nuts not to be able to get that one breed I want most!

 

[joebryant]

Quote:
DITTO ! Two times I've messed up some chicks that would have hatched because I didn't.

Coincidentally, today is day 18 for my third hatch. I'm incubating some for my doctor's wife. I'm going to stop it from turning them, add water, and THIS TIME I ain't opening that incubator even if I see a chick with a broken leg, punched out eye, stuck in an eggshell...

 

[louloubean]

i iwsh i knew how QUICK chicks turn into baby chickens, and i wish i had my coop at least started before i got the chicks. man them buggers grow fast!

even with the time constraints, i am glad we overbuilt the coop with a covered pen

 

[hikerchick]

I wish I had known how many cool breeds there were and how I would want to have all of them.

 

[wendid1]

Quote:
DITTO THAT

 

[kagedgoddess]

i wish i could afford to buy one of those pretty, Large expensive pre-made coops! building our coop was Not a bonding experiance, and i dont have room to add more, even though a friend just offered me some.

and that i had a fence around the yard so my chickies could range a bit.... or that my yard was bigger... or my neighbors had finished thier fence, or Didnt own dogs!!! (or kept them in their ouwn yard AT LEAST!!!!)