What were your worst mistakes when you first started?

[Celticdragonfly]

Chickens body temperature run in the 106 F range. 10 degrees higher that we do. Actually, new studies show that 98.6 F is not correct for humans. Put your hand under a wing. It's pretty darn warm under there. Dry birds are the best. Proper ventilation is key. ...
I am pretty sure more chickens have died from FIRE in a heated coop than from the cold.
Disclaimer get cold hardy birds.

Heh ... I live in Texas. I worry far more about the heat than the cold - even with non cold hardy birds, they're not going to get too cold out here, I do not need to heat a coop. I avoid breeds listed as cold hardy, because I fear that means they won't handle the heat. I worry about the ones with small combs.

The other thing that gets dead chickens in a coop is people who think putting an electric fan out there helps with the heat. Chickens are not mammals and do not sweat. Indoor fans aren't designed for outdoor coops, and bits of bedding and dust can build up and cause fires.

 

[Trux]

Good to know!

I thought it was dependant on the exteripr temperatures? We go as low as -10° F here, I thought I had read that at those temps they did need supplemental heat.

I was raised on a dairy farm in MN, We also had hogs, feeder cattle, and Chickens. At one point we had around 200 layers and in the winter the chickens were the heat source in the coop and they never burnt the coop down. We collected eggs 3 times a day when it really got super cold and made sure they had fresh water when we collected. You could see the vapor coming out the vents when it got that cold and when you opened the coop door.

 

[aart]

You could see the vapor coming out the vents when it got that cold

That's the 'dreaded' ammonia laden moist air.

 

[WindingRoad]

Heh ... I live in Texas. I worry far more about the heat than the cold - even with non cold hardy birds, they're not going to get too cold out here, I do not need to heat a coop. I avoid breeds listed as cold hardy, because I fear that means they won't handle the heat. I worry about the ones with small combs.

The other thing that gets dead chickens in a coop is people who think putting an electric fan out there helps with the heat. Chickens are not mammals and do not sweat. Indoor fans aren't designed for outdoor coops, and bits of bedding and dust can build up and cause fires.

Not to mention respiratory illnesses. My cold hardy birds do fine in the summer. We had the hottest July on record last month. Some days were so bad hot and HUMID. Dew points in the 70's. I had planned on getting ice for my birds but never did. I have a run that might get partial sun for 2 hrs a day. Some days my coop is cooler that the run and they hide in there.

Chickens were wild animals at one time. You are correct their bodies respond to conditions differently than we do.

 

[Three Little Bunnies]

My mistake was not having a heat lamp.

We figured the hundred-degree garage was warm enough. Turns out it wasn’t. We lost one baby (we think she may have gotten squished since they were all sleeping in a pile with her on the bottom. We tried to save her, but she didn’t make it.

We immediately got a heat lamp and set it up.

We lost another chick, but we did everything we could think of for her: NutriDrench, egg yolk, isolating with one other chick so she wouldn’t be pecked, etc.

The next time we got chicks, we just accidentally got the wrong feed and had to feed them eggs for half a day.

 

[Trux]

That's the 'dreaded' ammonia laden moist air.

Yes it was, but you didn't smell it in the coop, it was rather large 16x50 would be a close estimation. It would get cleaned spring and fall, so I guess you could say it was deep litter. We always used straw as that is what we had. Cleaning that coop was a Pain as everything had to be done by hand and pitched out the man door into the shit spreader

 

[ChickenCanoe]

My mistake was not having a heat lamp.

We figured the hundred-degree garage was warm enough. Turns out it wasn’t. We lost one baby (we think she may have gotten squished since they were all sleeping in a pile with her on the bottom. We tried to save her, but she didn’t make it.

We immediately got a heat lamp and set it up.

We lost another chick, but we did everything we could think of for her: NutriDrench, egg yolk, isolating with one other chick so she wouldn’t be pecked, etc.

The next time we got chicks, we just accidentally got the wrong feed and had to feed them eggs for half a day.

I really don't think the problem was the lack of a heat lamp. Chicks will always sleep in a pile regardless of temperature. More likely it was too hot. Within a couple days of hatch, if chicks have been eating and drinking, 90F is warm enough, especially when there are several chicks.
I would never put a heat lamp on chicks when it is 100F.
I took the heat plates away from week old chicks when it stayed above 80F.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I've made plenty of mistakes in the last 65years or so.
The sad thing is that I continue to make mistakes almost daily.
I screwed up royally yesterday and feel terrible.
I hatch anywhere between 50 and 200 chicks a year. I used to leg band with numbered colored bandettes. It worked pretty well except when the birds lost their bands.
If enough lost them before I knew it, I wasn't positive who was who.
I switched to numbered wing bands a couple years ago because - even though I can't read them from afar- they never lose them throughout life.
I was OK with that till yesterday. I wing banded really young chicks (less than a week old). I will never wing band chicks under 3 weeks old again.
The band is supposed to go through the wing web between the tendon and midway between the wing bones.
In this case the wing was so small, it was hard to find the point to penetrate. The last one I did yesterday I really screwed up. It went right through the joint between the ulna and humerus.

Essentially I blew out its wing bones. All that was left was a little string of skin. After my shock, I decided to amputate. There wasn't much blood and it didn't complain much.
It is doing fine today except short one wing.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I've made plenty of mistakes in the last 65years or so.
The sad thing is that I continue to make mistakes almost daily.
I screwed up royally yesterday and feel terrible.
I hatch anywhere between 50 and 200 chicks a year. I used to leg band with numbered colored bandettes. It worked pretty well except when the birds lost their bands.
If enough lost them before I knew it, I wasn't positive who was who.
I switched to numbered wing bands a couple years ago because - even though I can't read them from afar- they never lose them throughout life.
I was OK with that till yesterday. I wing banded really young chicks (less than a week old). I will never wing band chicks under 3 weeks old again.
The band is supposed to go through the wing web between the tendon and midway between the wing bones.
In this case the wing was so small, it was hard to find the point to penetrate. The last one I did yesterday I really screwed up. It went right through the joint between the ulna and humerus.

Essentially I blew out its wing bones. All that was left was a little string of skin. After my shock, I decided to amputate. There wasn't much blood and it didn't complain much.
It is doing fine today except short one wing.

I appreciate that you - an experienced poultry raiser - were willing to share your story to help give others some perspective about their errors. And to show that when a mistake is made, you rectify it as best you can and learn from it. I try to do that, too.

I'm sorry that your bird lost its wing, but it sounds like it should adapt just fine. If you're like me, the hardest part is forgiving yourself for (being human and) making a mistake. Remember to be kind to yourself, too.

 

[aart]

Essentially I blew out its wing bones. All that was left was a little string of skin. After my shock, I decided to amputate. There wasn't much blood and it didn't complain much.
It is doing fine today except short one wing.

Yikes!!
Did you have to take it off at the shoulder?

Experience doesn't eliminate errors, just greatly reduces them.
Yes, Kudos for sharing.