What information do you wish you had known starting out?

[MontanaMomma]

If you live in a place with horrid winters, don't count the run as living space. Build your coop bigger than you think you need it to be cuz there might be surprise chickens, splurge chickens and chickens that don't want to go outside in bad weather- a coop gets yucky fast with a bunch of chickens in it 24/7. And ventilation in your coop is THE most important thing.

 

[Happy Chooks]

1. Chickens are addicting. You may not think they can be funny, entertaining, etc, but the CAN and WILL multiply. And you will be a willing participant.
2. Don't get them to save money - you will spend a lot on building coops. (notice coops is plural)
3. If you buy an incubator, be prepared for building new coops - hatching is even more addicting than chickens. (37 eggs in my bator as we speak)
4. Eco Glow brooder IS the best thing since sliced bread.
5. If you bring home adult birds, quarantine them separately for at least 30 days. There are lots of chicken diseases that can spread to your whole flock. Better solution - hatch your own, don't bring in any adult birds.
6. Chickens are addicting.
7. If a person/company is advertising that a coop will hold 10-12 chickens, it will really hold 3-4.
8. Build your coop much bigger than you think you will need. Refer to #1 and #3.
9. Chickens + gardens don't mix. Make sure they are separate. This goes for both vegetable gardens and flower gardens.
10. You'll get used to chicken poop.............really.
11. Ventilation is extremely important and making sure they have ventilation without drafts is even more important.
12. Chickens will molt (lose feathers) and no they are not dying. And you won't be getting any eggs for a while while they are molting.
13. They are pigs with feathers - they eat almost anything and will take care of your kitchen waste/scraps. Tip: They go bonkers over macaroni and cheese, bread and spaghetti.
14. Chickens are not particularly smart. If they can find a way to kill themselves, they will.
15. Remember, just about everything eats chicken. Therefore, you need hardware cloth, not chicken wire. Chicken wire keeps chickens in, not animals out.
16. Chickens are addicting.

 

[bloom chicks]

LOL I fell off the ban wagon today and bought more!

1. Chickens are addicting. You may not think they can be funny, entertaining, etc, but they CAN and WILL multiply. And you will be a willing participant.
2. Don't get them to save money - you will spend a lot on building coops. (notice coops is plural)
3. If you buy an incubator, be prepared for building new coops - hatching is even more addicting than chickens. (37 eggs in my bator as we speak)
4. Eco Glow brooder IS the best thing since sliced bread.
5. If you bring home adult birds, quarantine them separately for at least 30 days. There are lots of chicken diseases that can spread to your whole flock. Better solution - hatch your own, don't bring in any adult birds.
6. Chickens are addicting.
7. If a person/company is advertising that a coop will hold 10-12 chickens, it will really hold 3-4.
8. Build your coop much bigger than you think you will need. Refer to #1 and #3.
9. Chickens + gardens don't mix. Make sure they are separate. This goes for both vegetable gardens and flower gardens.
10. You'll get used to chicken poop.............really.
11. Ventilation is extremely important and making sure they have ventilation without drafts is even more important.
12. Chickens will molt (lose feathers) and no they are not dying. And you won't be getting any eggs for a while while they are molting.
13. They are pigs with feathers - they eat almost anything and will take care of your kitchen waste/scraps. Tip: They go bonkers over macaroni and cheese, bread and spaghetti.
14. Chickens are not particularly smart. If they can find a way to kill themselves, they will.
15. Remember, just about everything eats chicken. Therefore, you need hardware cloth, not chicken wire. Chicken wire keeps chickens in, not animals out.
16. Chickens are addicting.

 

[mama2my4]

Cannot begin to tell you how much valuable information this thread hold for us newbies! Thank you all so much for sharing your tips and tricks. Oh and the chicken math... yes. I was starting out with NO MORE than 6 birds. Well, I have 6 in the brooder, picking up 5 more this weekend and still have my original 6 silkies coming in about 6 weeks. Ha!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Oh, forgot to add..............do NOT brood the chickens in your husbands sacred area. (ie garage) The dust they create is not a way to make your husband fond of them.

 

[gryeyes]

1. Chickens are addicting. You may not think they can be funny, entertaining, etc, but the CAN and WILL multiply. And you will be a willing participant.
2. Don't get them to save money - you will spend a lot on building coops. (notice coops is plural)
3. If you buy an incubator, be prepared for building new coops - hatching is even more addicting than chickens. (37 eggs in my bator as we speak)
4. Eco Glow brooder IS the best thing since sliced bread.
5. If you bring home adult birds, quarantine them separately for at least 30 days. There are lots of chicken diseases that can spread to your whole flock. Better solution - hatch your own, don't bring in any adult birds.
6. Chickens are addicting.
7. If a person/company is advertising that a coop will hold 10-12 chickens, it will really hold 3-4.
8. Build your coop much bigger than you think you will need. Refer to #1 and #3.
9. Chickens + gardens don't mix. Make sure they are separate. This goes for both vegetable gardens and flower gardens.
10. You'll get used to chicken poop.............really.
11. Ventilation is extremely important and making sure they have ventilation without drafts is even more important.
12. Chickens will molt (lose feathers) and no they are not dying. And you won't be getting any eggs for a while while they are molting.
13. They are pigs with feathers - they eat almost anything and will take care of your kitchen waste/scraps. Tip: They go bonkers over macaroni and cheese, bread and spaghetti.
14. Chickens are not particularly smart. If they can find a way to kill themselves, they will.
15. Remember, just about everything eats chicken. Therefore, you need hardware cloth, not chicken wire. Chicken wire keeps chickens in, not animals out.
16. Chickens are addicting.

What Happy Chooks said. Emphatically.

 

[ragerkid2]

1. Chickens are addicting. You may not think they can be funny, entertaining, etc, but the CAN and WILL multiply. And you will be a willing participant.
2. Don't get them to save money - you will spend a lot on building coops. (notice coops is plural)
3. If you buy an incubator, be prepared for building new coops - hatching is even more addicting than chickens. (37 eggs in my bator as we speak)
4. Eco Glow brooder IS the best thing since sliced bread.
5. If you bring home adult birds, quarantine them separately for at least 30 days. There are lots of chicken diseases that can spread to your whole flock. Better solution - hatch your own, don't bring in any adult birds.
6. Chickens are addicting.
7. If a person/company is advertising that a coop will hold 10-12 chickens, it will really hold 3-4.
8. Build your coop much bigger than you think you will need. Refer to #1 and #3.
9. Chickens + gardens don't mix. Make sure they are separate. This goes for both vegetable gardens and flower gardens.
10. You'll get used to chicken poop.............really.
11. Ventilation is extremely important and making sure they have ventilation without drafts is even more important.
12. Chickens will molt (lose feathers) and no they are not dying. And you won't be getting any eggs for a while while they are molting.
13. They are pigs with feathers - they eat almost anything and will take care of your kitchen waste/scraps. Tip: They go bonkers over macaroni and cheese, bread and spaghetti.
14. Chickens are not particularly smart. If they can find a way to kill themselves, they will.
15. Remember, just about everything eats chicken. Therefore, you need hardware cloth, not chicken wire. Chicken wire keeps chickens in, not animals out.
16. Chickens are addicting.

BEST POST EVER

 

[Gigiintheforest]

Love this. Everything I need to know. I have our brooder in my husband's library since that's the only room in the house with a door that closes except for my husband's office and our bedroom. I guess this means I'll be vacumning (sp?) dust off books for a long time - LOL!

 

[ragerkid2]

I brood in my bedroom lol. It's not HORRIBLE.

 

[melodym78]

Spare bathroom for me.....that way I can camke sure they are kept clean, warm and out of harms way...CONFESSION...the I use the john for a seat to watch my babies for hours...