What was all the fuss about!!

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My girls are now eight weeks old and have been out in the coop for a little over four weeks. I used a heat lamp at night for 1 week.. and two weeks out in the run now.. all day! They are into grower pellets now and seem very happy eating everything! Rasberries are a gianormous hit!! cracked corn, bugs salad.. and anything left over from the garden. So many people have had so many problems! I just kept them clean, fed and watered with medicated water additive.. and all has been great! I think to many people make to much fuss about..well.. just chickens being chickens!!

Dan Viger
Hollis Center Maine

 

[tobin123]

What Fuss are they making??????????
DH usually will put our pullets out into our barn early with a heat lamp(if needed) but inside of a growing area that he made in the barn.This is so they can play in the dirt and run around crazy if they feel like it.We usually have L O T S of babies at one time.

 

[calicokat]

We went along quite happily for over a year - no problems, no predators, no fuss. Then we did run into some stuff

So enjoy the good times - that's the fun part of being chicken parents

 

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lol I think everyone is getting me all wrong.. probably my fault!.. I just noticed that there are huge amounts of posts about everyone having huge issues. I think problems start when you start treating a chicken like a dog or a house cat. So many feeds and chemicals.. and way too much handling. I think if you have one or two hens.. maybe much more handling is ok.. but when you have six eight or more.. just let the natural order of things.. just happen. I grew up with chickens ..my uncle and four generations before him had chicks ... I never saw or even heard of half the problems that alot of people are having.. special foods.. special diets ..this food here.. that food then.. yaddah yaddah yaddah. Warm, enough..cool enough.. well fed and watered and protected.. and clean clean clean area to live .. walla

 

[FarmGirl01]

I see what your saying. I tend to treat mine like the chickens that they are. Not really pets, but they are well cared for.

 

[midd2005]

i mean, perhaps it's important to point out that this website is called backyardchickens.com and not livestock.com. though i know there are chicken farmers all over this website, a lot of users seem to be pet owners first and chicken farmers second...or maybe more like fifth. this is the crowd you're surrounding yourself with. i'm sure there are resources out there for larger scale producers as well, where i'm sure there are a whole host of other issues and considerations.

i think it's great that you and your chickens have been fuss free, but clearly not everyone sees or utilizes their chickens as you do. so maybe just give people a break and let us worry and have our fun. if you do ever run into a problem that you want to take some serious action on, than it's safe to say someone will have had the same issue and can give you some advice on what to do.

 

[silkieowner]

my silkies are classed as pets in my eyes but don't over cuddle them or treat them like a dog. But i do talk to them and pat them here and there, I may pick 1 or 2 up for a quick cuddle but other then that they do what they please. When they see me they all come runing i have 2 silkies that actually follow me a bit then stop. My silkies are spoilt i do buy them crickets,sardines,oats etc every fortnight.

 

[33yardbirds]

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lol I think everyone is getting me all wrong.. probably my fault!.. I just noticed that there are huge amounts of posts about everyone having huge issues. I think problems start when you start treating a chicken like a dog or a house cat. So many feeds and chemicals.. and way too much handling. I think if you have one or two hens.. maybe much more handling is ok.. but when you have six eight or more.. just let the natural order of things.. just happen. I grew up with chickens ..my uncle and four generations before him had chicks ... I never saw or even heard of half the problems that alot of people are having.. special foods.. special diets ..this food here.. that food then.. yaddah yaddah yaddah. Warm, enough..cool enough.. well fed and watered and protected.. and clean clean clean area to live .. walla

I agree, a chicken is a chicken is a chicken. Food, water, shelter. Let 'em out in the morning close them up at night. I don't look for hugs and kisses from them, just eggs. Never treated them for depression or ADD. They're a Farm animal not a Canary or Budgie. Keep them as safe as you can from Preds because the Preds are stealing your crop. I believe all the doteing and babying makes for a weaker instinct........Let 'em be chickens and go about their day to day activity and just enjoy the relaxation of just watching them.

 

[KentuckyChick]

I was born with a heart. Can't help it, just happened. So I tend to care about the animals in my care, and whether or not they die.

For the most part, I've been problem free. But I've got a runt who was being bullied, and I couldn't sit back and let 'nature take it's course'. Big heart, it kicked in. Not about the whole culling thing.

Everyone does what works for them. You can look at chicken owners like me from your high horse all you want. I don't care. I didn't ask for either of your opinions.

As for me and my chickens, we are happy and loved.

 

[Keens2050]

As with just about every situation, you will have people who fall far from the median but most will fall right in the "normal" range. Normal meaning "of the majority." That being said, I haven't been on this website long enough to find out what normal is, however! (more chicken lovers or more chicken farmers?)