What were your worst mistakes when you first started?

[paintedChix]

First job tomorrow.... take back up that section, dig, bury, and em.... don't know how I'm going to get them out without letting others in. And there are others
They laugh at my traps.

Maybe it's time to find a "rat" terrier!

A little levity is always necessary...

Edited to add - I did read the other posts on rats. Wow. I think I'll keep our coyotes (though I've lost quite a number of birds, during the day, to it). I am not at all ready to deal with larger sized burrowers. Our cats currently get voles - and this summer I watched two young CLB cockerels each grab part of one and pull a "Jurassic park dino trick" with one...

 

[Rooster_Tyranny]

~Not enough VENTILATION in the coop. Two frostbitten toes later..

~Not trimming the feathers on my WCB Polish because I was too afraid to be hands on. The poor thing had feathers growing directly down over her eyes, she couldn't get into the coop and wouldn't roost with the other chickens because she couldn't see. And she almost died because she couldn't get to the food. When I finally got around to it it was so refreshing to see her acting like.. You know, an actual chicken again.

~Not knowing how high chickens can fly. It turns out they can jump onto the roof of the coop. When designing the coop we accidentally included an extra "roost". I'm bad with words so I'll just show you a picture of what I mean.

That triangular thing was never intended to be a roost. Though I guess it's not the end of the world. Note poor Mystique in the back.

~Getting too excited when buying chickens and not thoroughly looking at the rest of the breeds available. I love my two Buckeyes but I would've loved to have a Swedish Flower Hen.

~Freaking myself out. After placing my order for day old chicks I thought a good past time would be to read about mail order chick blunders where boxes full of dead chicks showed up at people's doors.

 

[Erin80]

Too many birds. Filling my coop to the max. There were so many breeds I wanted to try out, I just kept buying them. Buying straight run was a huge mistake - we've had to give away 5-6 roosters now (for free).
Currently we are down to 7 hens - there is so much peace and space in the coop, I'm not buying any chicks this upcoming spring season. Integration is always hell, and I like having fewer birds.
Another big mistake - not cleaning the coop during the winter (last year). The build up of poop was INSANE in the spring, and a couple of my girls got frostbite on their combs and one on her toe from the moisture on the floor.
Not opening the pop door during cold snaps.......this allowed moisture to accumulate in the coop (even with ventilation), and didn't allow them the option to go outside. Must remember they are chickens, not people! Haha!
Live and learn!

 

[gnine0326]

I'd love some tips on catching my birds. Do you recommend ignoring the skwarking panic and simply chasing them down, or grabbing a leg while they are trustingly coming up to you, or what? I hate the idea of making them scared of me because they think I'll grab them if they come too close, but recognise the need to check them regularly. I have an open plan run/pen so no smaller area to catch them. Was thinking of catching them a couple of times a month while settled roosting, but then it's dark and hard to see (even with a headlamp). What do others recommend?

I corner my girls. Pick them up awaking and complaining then I sweet talk to them and they settle so I can check them out. I also feed by hand, at night I “tuck” them in telling them what good girls they are, and I also sit with them so they know I’m their friend. Some are more trusting than others.

 

[BReeder!]

I'd love some tips on catching my birds. Do you recommend ignoring the skwarking panic and simply chasing them down, or grabbing a leg while they are trustingly coming up to you, or what? I hate the idea of making them scared of me because they think I'll grab them if they come too close, but recognise the need to check them regularly. I have an open plan run/pen so no smaller area to catch them. Was thinking of catching them a couple of times a month while settled roosting, but then it's dark and hard to see (even with a headlamp). What do others recommend?

My girls squat when I walk up to them often times. Makes it easy on me. If they are panicked I'll just hang out around them for a few minutes until the calm down and then pick one up. Occasionally there is a need for a chase, but that's only if I really need to catch them urgently for some reason. We give our hens treats, so they often come right to us. They particularly like my 2 year old who LOVES to give them treats. He will throw a whole 5 gallon bucket of scratch to them 1 handful or scoop at a time if I let him. We only have 7 hens, so I really try to keep him to just one or two handfuls.

 

[robson1015]

One mistake is it took me 10 years to finally install an automatic coop door on a timer. Roll away nest boxes (sloped) so the eggs stay cleaner. Figured out it's nicer to have a large capacity waterer with water heater. still learning....

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Settled in this evening and found this thread. Read all 54 pages and wish I had found this sooner! Thanks goodness for BYC!

 

[MROO]

My BIGGEST mistake, to date ... going in to Tractor Supply during Chick Days ... unattended! My children keep me on a short leash, these days, as Chick Days are scheduled to start again, soon. They're so funny! They check in on me whenever the car and I are gone at the same time.
"Where are you, Mom?"
"Out running errands."
"WHERE are you running errands, Mom?"
(location triangulated and compared to maps of our three closest TSC's and the Feed Store)
"What's your ETA, Mom?"
(time estimate compared to previously triangulated position ie ... does she have enough time to stop at TSC before arriving home?)
"We don't have room in the coop, Mom." (apparently, they've figured out how fast I can pick and run!)
"But I wasn't ... "
"Mom. No. Just, NO!"
"Sigh, ... I'm on my way home, now ..."
What they don't know is that I've finally figured out how to hook up the incubator ... and my pullets are laying!
Bwaahaaahaaahaaa!

 

[BReeder!]

My BIGGEST mistake, to date ... going in to Tractor Supply during Chick Days ... unattended! My children keep me on a short leash, these days, as Chick Days are scheduled to start again, soon. They're so funny! They check in on me whenever the car and I are gone at the same time.
"Where are you, Mom?"
"Out running errands."
"WHERE are you running errands, Mom?"
(location triangulated and compared to maps of our three closest TSC's and the Feed Store)
"What's your ETA, Mom?"
(time estimate compared to previously triangulated position ie ... does she have enough time to stop at TSC before arriving home?)
"We don't have room in the coop, Mom." (apparently, they've figured out how fast I can pick and run!)
"But I wasn't ... "
"Mom. No. Just, NO!"
"Sigh, ... I'm on my way home, now ..."
What they don't know is that I've finally figured out how to hook up the incubator ... and my pullets are laying!
Bwaahaaahaaahaaa!

 

[llombardo]

I'm living it now.... Not putting a roof on the run. Winters here are hit or miss and boy has it hit this year. The first storm early on was bad and a tree branch fell on the run. It ripped the net in a very small area--I was impressed the net held up.now everything is ice and frozen. The temps are so cold that the extension cords rated for outside stopped working. End result is I brought the chickens and ducks inside. Back to the drawing board and more building. There will be a roof by next winter--I am determined to get that done but it's only me, so it will take time.