My biggest mistake was to when I got my first chickens. I had planned to get them from a breeder of heritage breeds, but the breeder was lousy at calling me back. I went to see a former school student who had taken up keeping chickens. I just wanted to see his set up. He greeted us with a rubber maid container full of 9 teenage chicks and said we could take these right away. A weasel had gotten into his coop and taken 4 chicks. These were the survivors. He needed to get rid of them. He went on to tell us what breeds they were and that it was easy to see most of them were hens.
Well, 5 were roosters, the breeds were completely off and all the hens had a genetic problem with their shell gland.
I learned not to jump to the pump to save someone.
We learned to butcher and ate 4 roosters. We learned that we would not ever want to do that again (slaughtering).
I could not fix the problem of the eggs, and i am the type to fall in love with every animal, so all the hens and one rooster got to live.
Well, 5 were roosters, the breeds were completely off and all the hens had a genetic problem with their shell gland.
I learned not to jump to the pump to save someone.
We learned to butcher and ate 4 roosters. We learned that we would not ever want to do that again (slaughtering).
I could not fix the problem of the eggs, and i am the type to fall in love with every animal, so all the hens and one rooster got to live.
). Then she growled at me! Not dead - broody! 
In my defense our old Araucana never went broody so it never even occurred to me that she could be, plus it's still the end of winter in my little corner of the world.
If they manage to hatch anything I don't know how they think they are getting them down.
But I'll start with this.
Didn't know this. None of them are sick though. (I didn't dunk the one who isn't feeling well, powdered her instead.)
I kept 2 roosters that I liked because I read somewhere that Buff Orphingtons were the calmest of gentlemen. I also believed that I could have 2 roosters for 30 hens.
