What was your worst mistake as a chicken keeper?

[PippinTheChicken]

Just curious what prefab you went with? I haven’t seen any I’d consider “really big” lol. Luckily we went with a modified shed, I’m not the handiest builder.

I can't remember where I got it. But I have 10 chickens and they all fit with extra space! Close call. In the future I'm never gonna buy one

 

[Skyle]

1) I built my first coop without considering enough the chicken math and hatch-addiction
Well, I initially started with 4 chickens and a coop for 8-10. Yeah, chicken math got me very bad .

2) The first coop is obviously too small for all the chickens I now have

3) I had a lot of luck because some kind people gifted me last year some big (and one giant) old dog kennels/houses which I adapted as chicken coops (added door, roosts and ventilation). If I didn't had this luck I would buildt more coops, but if I'd knew it before building the first one I'd definitely built it much bigger.
Now there's space for everyone

4) That with me chicken math doesn't mean build X2, it means build X5. With the quails I planned right because I tought to have only 5 but I anyways built it big enough for 20-25. I hope to be able to move the chickens next spring as I'm planning to build a new coop big enough to accommodate much more chickens/quails than planned.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

I'll tag some of the more popular peeps here on BYC.
@Kiki @Overo Mare @casportpony @aart @the_peanut_coop @muddy75

 

[Painted Calls]

I think my biggest mistake was a common one.

Bought a prefab many moons ago. It of course fell apart in no time. It is now refurbished and serves as a single chicken's sleeping quarters. She has a big coop but likes her privacy.

 

[HappyClucker7]

My biggest mistake was probably not building a bigger coop. I don't have the space for all the chickens I want.

 

[MysteryChicken]

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.

 

[muddy75]

My only mistake really was not planning and building a bigger, better brooder, and not purchasing the heavy duty netting from the beginning. Everything else has just been part of the learning curve and has all been upgraded, repurposed, etc.

 

[casportpony]

1. What did you do?
2. What were the consequences?
3. Did you fix it? How?
4. What did you learn?

There are many. But I'll start with this.

1. Many, many years ago I bathed a hen that was covered in mites.
2. She died.
3. It could not be fixed.
4. I learned that bathing a sickly chicken could kill it.

 

[MildlyOffensiveChicken]

Not being careful enough about predators and building a coop that was not particularly predator proof.

I lost 25 chicks over 2 weeks.

 

[EmmaRainboe]

1. What did you do?

I used chicken wire to wrap the entirety of my run and holes in the coop.

1. What were the consequences?

Luckily, there were no huge consequences. Mostly just wasting tons and tons of money on food because the rats were eating most of it.

1. Did you fix it? How?

Got 1/2 HC and wrapped that on top of the chicken wire around the entirety of the walls. Still chicken wire on the roof, though.

1. What did you learn?

Don't let your parents design your run. Only you know, and can do, what you want.

Do it all yourself. Do not ask for help. If you can't use power tools, learn.