What were your worst mistakes when you first started?

[NH Chicken Mama]

Adding to the existing flock, 2 chicks at a time. Those 2 chicks grew up, and were quite bonded to each other as hens, and one died suddenly last June (we think of the heat, she was a Jersey Giant). The survivor is bereft, and is still the flock loner. She sleeps by herself on the poop board, under the roosting bar, as none of the other hens will let her sit with them.

I'll always get 3 or more now, just in case.

I've noticed that my girls are paired up since I read your post. Both pairs were from different flocks that were only integrated about a week before I took my 4. Two of them are retirees, and at the bottom of the pecking order. They don't even want to go back in the run, I can tell, and want to stay outside at night. It definitely is quite sad already. I'm going to reconfigure the run tomorrow (3rd time this week), add in more space with some hardware cloth and add in more obstacle spacing in the area so they can stay out of line of sight.

Thanks for pointing out the bonding. I probably would have noticed it in the next few days, but it woke me up enough to see it earlier. Can you add another roosting bar for yours?

I think I've learned from this (and from some great stories I read here on BYC) is that I am going to get a rooster and hatch chicks directly in to the flock from now on.

I have also learned that even free ranged chickens need more than 6 sq ft of run space per bird. And places to hide inside of the run.

Drainage is important. It rained yesterday and the run was muck.

Prefabs are awful, no matter how much you research and what type of material they are made of. (The two roosts don't get used as far as I can tell. The ladies sleep on the sand or in the nest box). The roosts are also never hanging up. However, I bought it with the idea that I would be using it as a brooder after we build our 'shed' (barn). It will do in the meantime and has a 10yr warranty and is suprisingly secure (won't withstand a determined bear, though...) So even if I hatch chicks with a broody, I'll still have a hospital/quarantine coop.

A small coop on the ground basically means you can't see in it when it is dirty, you can't count your hens before nightly close up, and the only bonus is that barely anything can attack them from underneath.

A drop-down door, doubling as a ramp, is not nearly as good as a slider would be when you try to rig it to work without having to enter the run.

Poop trays are awesome. Will be in coop design.

A large access door that allows you to reach inside of the coop is much better than the run access door. Only chickens fit through.

Definitely need headspace in a run.

Have a biosecurity plan, including assigned coop shoes.

I'm still designing my ideal coop and run in my mind's eye, and changing it daily due to reading tidbits on this website. So I think that, for the most part, my moves so far have been with a decent expectation. I knew the coop wasn't long-term. And that the run wouldn't be, either. I just expected to not work on it so much at the beginning!

 

[chicknmania]

Yes, I think I saw something similar at my local feed store. I also (when I was originally looking at chicks) saw the DIY brooder heater. I definitely have to look in to it. We go very negative here.

I bought one at the feed store and it was crap. The Cozy Coop brand is very good.

 

[HennyPenny2019]

We got our first chickens about 7 years ago. The worst mistake we made was not feeding our chickens grit or oyster shell.
We lost 5 of our 6 RIR’s before they were even a year old.
Thanks to some helpful advice from the lady at the feed store, we are now are on our 3rd generation of chickens from the surviving RIR, Susie, who died last month. She was still our best egg layer up until the day she died.

I’ve heard not to feed oyster shell until the girls start laying. Is this right? My 4 girls are 4.5 months old.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I’ve heard not to feed oyster shell until the girls start laying. Is this right? My 4 girls are 4.5 months old.

Correct. But even if you put it out early, they're unlikely to eat it (though they may sample it in curiosity).

 

[HennyPenny2019]

There are heater panels now for poultry that you can buy on line, called Cozy Coops. I think MyPetChicken sells them, for starters. They are great. They are safe to use and provide very adequate heat.

I’ve tried to look back and see if this was about heating a coop this winter or about raising chicks. Couldn’t find the beginning. I have an outlet inside my coop and was wondering if I could use a heat lamp fastened to the ceiling joist, if a heat bulb in the light fixture would be better or what to do this winter. I only have 4 young girls and am trying not to make any big mistakes. I live on the Ohio River in WV, we can get some kinda bad winters. Help?

 

[HennyPenny2019]

Correct. But even if you put it out early, they're unlikely to eat it (though they may sample it in curiosity).

Thank you ... I’ll wait. I want so bad to do my very best with my dear girls.

 

[aart]

I’ve tried to look back and see if this was about heating a coop this winter or about raising chicks. Couldn’t find the beginning. I have an outlet inside my coop and was wondering if I could use a heat lamp fastened to the ceiling joist, if a heat bulb in the light fixture would be better or what to do this winter. I only have 4 young girls and am trying not to make any big mistakes. I live on the Ohio River in WV, we can get some kinda bad winters. Help?

Chickens don't need heat, they need good ventilation up high.

 

[HennyPenny2019]

Chickens don't need heat, they need good ventilation up high.

Off to re-read ventilation ... thanks

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I’ve heard not to feed oyster shell until the girls start laying. Is this right? My 4 girls are 4.5 months old.

Oyster shell should be offered in a separate container so a pullet/hen can choose to consume them if they feel the need. If they don't need them, they won't eat them so at 4.5 months, go ahead and give them some.
Never mix with feed though, then they won't have a choice but to over consume if they want to eat.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I’ve tried to look back and see if this was about heating a coop this winter or about raising chicks. Couldn’t find the beginning. I have an outlet inside my coop and was wondering if I could use a heat lamp fastened to the ceiling joist, if a heat bulb in the light fixture would be better or what to do this winter. I only have 4 young girls and am trying not to make any big mistakes. I live on the Ohio River in WV, we can get some kinda bad winters. Help?

The cozy coop panels are to slightly raise the temperature in a coop.
They aren't to be used for brooding chicks. Chicks need a more localized warm spot (like a mother hen) and lots of cool space.