What was your worst mistake as a chicken keeper?

[McChooky]

My worst mistake ever was buying a farm and ordering over 100 baby chicks .I didn't lose a single one but sold the farm a year later .I sold them at a loss to good homes

 

[Chuckenman]

Worst mistake of my life:
Fed them only cracked corn with a few kitchen scraps.

Consequences:
They were about 4 months old but they weren't growing fatter and they weren't looking how they were supposed to be.

How did I fix it?:
I feed them chicken feed now. Since it was a big change in their diet their stomachs didn't adapt to the new food well and the result was a diarrhea like wet poop. So i mix feed and a bit of cracked corn with it to let their stomachs slowly adapt to the new food.

What did I learn?:
Research about everything about my chickens life, learn about them and get professional advice about things about chickens, new or old.

Bonus - Pictures:

 

[jodievaughan]

1. What did you do?
I gave water to my very poorly hen orally through a syringe while having a misunderstanding of the inside of a chicken's mouth.

2. What were the consequences?
She died from asphyxiation!

3. Did you fix it? How?
Sadly it couldn't be fixed.

4. What did you learn?
I had misunderstood a part of a chicken health textbook I have about where the entrances to the trachea and oesophagus are in their mouths. It was a hard-learned lesson about the details of a chicken's respiratory and digestive systems. Please don't make the same mistake as I did! I found watching educational videos that labelled real chickens' body parts to be the most helpful. I never syringed anything to a chicken for years after this out of fear, but it is possible to do and I have recently done it successfully. Still, it poses risks that are not to be underestimated.

 

[3KillerBs]

I have been looking for DIY coop plans for a while, and almost every single one of them is like, "Check out this adorable coop! Teehee!" And it's, like, 3 feet tall with a permanent roof and a tiny door on one end.

This is the source of my Rule of Thumb: If it looks like a dollhouse it's only suitable for keeping toy chickens.

"Cute" and "Adorable" are, to me, warning signs that the coop in question is somewhere between impractical and utterly useless.

 

[RobinGel]

3. How did you fix it? I spent lots of money buying permethrin dust, Elector PSP, and several different antibiotics. Ended up still having to take the most obviously sick hen to the avian vet and pay for that too. Then spent an entire day cleaning coops and spraying the coop and chickens.

What did you spray your coop & chickens with? I'm just wondering because I'm about to do a more than thorough coop cleaning before winter...

 

[3KillerBs]

What did you spray your coop & chickens with? I'm just wondering because I'm about to do a more than thorough coop cleaning before winter...

If you don't actually have mites or lice there's no need to treat for it. The meds don't act as a preventative.

 

[RobinGel]

If you don't actually have mites or lice there's no need to treat for it. The meds don't act as a preventative.

Correct!

 

[Cryss]

1. What did you do? Bought a TSC coop that said it was big enough for 8 chickens intending to have 4. Chicken math gave me 7. Reality, big enough for one or maybe two chickens.
2. What were the consequences? I had to bend down and crawl under the coop to get a hiding chicken. The door and the run were maybe 4 feet high! I was regretting the size because of my own discomfort. Two of the birds became bullies. They were simply overcrowded. The whole thing was poorly made. Doors and windows had drafty gaps not intended for nor appropriate for ventilation. Lightweight wood, almost Balsam wood breaks easily (don’t lean against it or rock it) and deteriorates quickly.
3. Did you fix it? How? Since winter was setting in I was in a hurry. I covered the entire thing, attached run and all, in plywood incorporating baffles for ventilation. This made it just a coop. I erected a 10x10x6 chain link dog run around it. Covered that top, sides, perimeter apron, in 1/2 inch hardware cloth. It got me through the winter. In spring built my 8x12 walk in coop with additional dog run added making 300sqft of run.
4. What did you learn? Comfortable chickens are happy and healthy. Comfortable me enjoys being with my chickens. The small coop made me dread going out to take care of my birds. Now we sing together as I tidy the coop and collect eggs. AND that chicken math is sooo real. I wanted 4 hens no roosters. Currently have 24 birds, soon to be reduced to 19.

 

[RobinGel]

If you don't actually have mites or lice there's no need to treat for it. The meds don't act as a preventative.

I guess I didn't understand the OP was spraying meds. I spray a commercial grade insecticide after a thorough coop cleaning, it helps to eliminate flies as well. My coop is a converted corn crib, so it has a concrete floor. I don't spray my chickens though.

It's called DemandCS, it's a microencapsulated synthetic pyrethroid & is safe for people, food or livestock. (edit)

 

[FeatherTay]

Introducing 5 week olds to an adult flock.

Several were injured, 1 got cannibalized.


They got separated, & treated for their wounds, & put with the Bantams instead. Once big enough they got moved to the adult flock.

Cannibalized?!