What were your worst mistakes when you first started?

[Ms Biddy]

Mistake 1: I wish we had put a roof on our run when we built it. Dry is good!

Mistake 2: Trying to fight stick tight fleas with DE and poultry dust. I should have used a strong systemic. It's also important to eliminate the rodents and squirrels that carry them.

One simple mistake I see others make is throwing scratch, feed and treats outside the coop and run. This attracts wild birds and practically trains them to hang out with your chickens.

 

[Crow-ded house]

View attachment 1611948 H

View attachment 1611948 Free ranging- two hens all that were left were feathers, my favorite sweetest hen had her head ripped of while it was being pulled thru the fence, two more all that were found were their feet and a wing all over the space of 9 mths. Building the coop next to a tree so predators had an easy access to the roof. Not stopping our second flock from sleeping outside. We had to rebuild our setup with the coops being above ground with the floors having tiled trays that make cleanup a breeze and waterproof roofs. More ventilation so no more frostbite. Built big covered runs for their protection and deep litter has been a blessing during our rainy season. Before with just dirt it was sooooo muddy that my boots came off by the suction and my chooks were not happy. Now they dig thru the litter and have a blast throwing twigs and sticks around. Plus they know to dig thru the dlm to the sand we put as a base to get their baths. That bottle in one photo one of the “cooling stations” that we use during the summer.

 

[Shadrach]

View attachment 1611958 View attachment 1611954 View attachment 1611948 HView attachment 1611952 View attachment 1611954 View attachment 1611952 View attachment 1611954 View attachment 1611948 Free ranging- two hens all that were left were feathers, my favorite sweetest hen had her head ripped of while it was being pulled thru the fence, two more all that were found were their feet and a wing all over the space of 9 mths. Building the coop next to a tree so predators had an easy access to the roof. Not stopping our second flock from sleeping outside. We had to rebuild our setup with the coops being above ground with the floors having tiled trays that make cleanup a breeze and waterproof roofs. More ventilation so no more frostbite. Built big covered runs for their protection and deep litter has been a blessing during our rainy season. Before with just dirt it was sooooo muddy that my boots came off by the suction and my chooks were not happy. Now they dig thru the litter and have a blast throwing twigs and sticks around. Plus they know to dig thru the dlm to the sand we put as a base to get their baths. That bottle in one photo one of the “cooling stations” that we use during the summer.

I may be able to save you some further heartache; get rid of the chickens wire and use hardware cloth and get rid of the planks and dig in a skirt made from hardware cloth.

 

[ChickenMamaSue]

1. Not being prepared enough for diseases/ predators. BIO SECURITY

2. Coddling the cockerels hoping they'd grow up to be nice. This doesn't work. It just doesn't. Roosters should respect you and keep their distance. Spoiling them with attention leads to roosters that have no fear of God (you). I had a rooster who would attack and hump shoes and feet.

3. Not culling cockerels/ sick birds as needed. I "couldn't bring myself to do it". After culling three drakes and three roosters the flock is so much more peaceful and happy. Culling is always hard, but if you love them you must do it.

4. Chicken math. Its been said so many times on here but it is a real problem if not controlled! While waiting for my first flock of 11 (which i initially thought was a LOT) to lay, i added a whopping 20 more young pullets and cockerels, six ducks, and four guinea keets. THEN once my first flock began laying I incubated their eggs and got 18 more chicks! Thankfully my coop is huge and i have land so they all fit comfortably, but 50+ birds is too much. It becomes harder to give them one on one attention and daily health checks. You may miss the initial signs of sickness because you simply cannot keep up with everyone the same. Learn from me. Please. Just get a small flock and love them for a while

5. This could go with #3, but don't get too attached. Love them, appreciate them, care for them, but remember they are chickens. They're prey animals and very prone to disease. Sometimes you'll lose your favorite hen or you'll have to cull a dear rooster. Sometimes you'll lose one with little to no explanation why or how. These things happen when you keep chickens, and you must be mentally prepared for these situations.

 

[MissChick@dee]

Mistake 1: I wish we had put a roof on our run when we built it. Dry is good!

Mistake 2: Trying to fight stick tight fleas with DE and poultry dust. I should have used a strong systemic. It's also important to eliminate the rodents and squirrels that carry them.

One simple mistake I see others make is throwing scratch, feed and treats outside the coop and run. This attracts wild birds and practically trains them to hang out with your chickens.

I used to feed and water wild birds. Still have a colony of sparrows that live in my yard.
The Hawks would just wait for them. Little did I know I was providing them with a buffet.
What WAS I thinking?

 

[sheetmetaltom]

chicken math. totally only need 4/5 hens. 17 hens, 2 roosters and 3 ducks later. oh and i just found one today sitting on 4 eggs. marked them so i know what to leave and what to take.

 

[aart]

oh and i just found one today sitting on 4 eggs. marked them so i know what to leave and what to take.

Take them all...now...get out the broody buster!

 

[Kota Mitera]

I made my worst mistake today. I live in southeastern Virginia and we are currently experiencing a nor'easter. A cold nasty rain and high winds. After worrying last night and into the morning about letting my girls out in this mess and reading posts about letting them make their own decision, I decided to follow the normal schedule. I let them out and they were happy, proceed with my day and go out around 4-4:30 in the afternoon to give them a night time treat, and all of them come running to me. They are soaked. I don't know where they spent the day but staying in the coop or in the run or even near the coop obviously did not occur to my girls. I herded them into the coop and made sure everyone was roosting. I guess they will dry out. It is going to rain again tomorrow and they will have their meals and water in bed.

 

[lcwmt]

Biggest mistake, last go-round: adopting someone else's chickens. It all worked out in the end, but still.

This go-round: Not building a big enough coop. Really. It would not have been much more difficult/expensive/inconvenient to add an extra 2' - 4' on one side.... Then the coop would be large enough for storage space.
OTOH, it would also have been large enough for more chickens, so maybe not a mistake at all????

 

[Crow-ded house]

I may be able to save you some further heartache; get rid of the chickens wire and use hardware cloth and get rid of the planks and dig in a skirt made from hardware cloth.

These are from last summer. We have already made a trench around the runs and buried the bottom of the wire in it. As soon as we can afford hc we are going to buy some because we heard it is so much better.