What were your worst mistakes when you first started?

[feliciadawn]

Well I made the standard mistakes and them some unique, giant mistakes.

standard: getting the tiny, unventilated yet expensive prefab coop (called the half-flap hen house.). Quickly realized it made a half decent brooder with modifications for ventilation, but couldn't even accommodate 2 small hens as a coop. Also ended up with loads of roosters, but found good homes for all (except Adam Chicken, my avatar, who I am keeping.)

Giant mistakes (chronologically):

*My two day old blue copper marans had pasty butt. I rinsed her off and then decided to put some tea tree oil rinse on her irritated vent (thinking it works when my dog has a paw irritation.). She keeled over 2 minutes later and died within the hour. I still think about you, Blue.

** Forgot to count my chickens after letting them out of the coop for a walk at 6 weeks. My cream crested legbar, Woodstock, went in the coop, and then snuck out again. I didn't see that she was out, and went inside the house to make them a snack. Then I let me standard poodle into the yard. I really miss you, Woodstock!

*** I used a penknife to strip a thickly insulated wire to make my electric fence. Cut off the top of my left index finger to the bone, requiring a skin graph and tendon surgery. The tendon was "shredded" and may not fully recover. It has been 9 weeks since the injury and i can finally take off the splint once in a while -- will need a lot of OT.

Of course, they are all worth it! I love my chicks.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

Using wood chips instead of hay. Leaving a jameson on the rocks out then hoping for hours the rooster dosen't have alcohol poisioning. Thinking running out to the coop in heels is actually a possible thing "it isnt".

I love this! And your tag line on your stationary- I can’t think of the right word for it right now but the old word was the heading on your stationary-theme it’s too late at night. I have not had any Jameson but meds. Lyrica is hell on memory. So the heading on your email thing a mabob. That should get my point across. Hilarious.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

Well I made the standard mistakes and them some unique, giant mistakes.

standard: getting the tiny, unventilated yet expensive prefab coop (called the half-flap hen house.). Quickly realized it made a half decent brooder with modifications for ventilation, but couldn't even accommodate 2 small hens as a coop. Also ended up with loads of roosters, but found good homes for all (except Adam Chicken, my avatar, who I am keeping.)

Giant mistakes (chronologically):

*My two day old blue copper marans had pasty butt. I rinsed her off and then decided to put some tea tree oil rinse on her irritated vent (thinking it works when my dog has a paw irritation.). She keeled over 2 minutes later and died within the hour. I still think about you, Blue.

** Forgot to count my chickens after letting them out of the coop for a walk at 6 weeks. My cream crested legbar, Woodstock, went in the coop, and then snuck out again. I didn't see that she was out, and went inside the house to make them a snack. Then I let me standard poodle into the yard. I really miss you, Woodstock!

*** I used a penknife to strip a thickly insulated wire to make my electric fence. Cut off the top of my left index finger to the bone, requiring a skin graph and tendon surgery. The tendon was "shredded" and may not fully recover. It has been 9 weeks since the injury and i can finally take off the splint once in a while -- will need a lot of OT.

Of course, they are all worth it! I love my chicks.

OMG! I am so sorry to hear about your finger accident. That is awful. Sounds like something that I would do actually. Bless you. I hope you get 100% full use and healing back very soon.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

QUOTE="Chullicken, post: 20733160, member: 415941"]
I had them for a few years as a teen and when I got back into the 'hobby' later on in life I just went completely dumb on day when I walked into TSC. Wanted to get back into it, just should have waited a few weeks and 'undumbed' myself first

A amusing list of some of the things and conversations I've had with myself while freezing outside, hunched over with a chicken on my back shoveling poop and collecting eggs while methodically swearing and staring at my flock as they judge me;

1) Ventilation
2) Should have built a walk in coop idiot, now my back hurts and its awkward. Some of my chickens take me hunched over as a 'new and exciting roost to check out' and poop down my jacket.
3) Do it today, not tomorrow. Learned the hard way. Chickens don't do well with procrastination, but sickness and predators do. (Sorry kids, I'm still guilt ridden years later)
4) Do the research...so much hogwash and gimmicks to be found online and in the words of people who don't have any idea. Find and get to know people that actually have experience and wisdom on the subject, even if its not what you want to read or hear. They'll be your chicken best friend and you'll sleep better at night.
5) DO NOT rear chicks in your bedroom because you think its cute! EVER. I mean its OK if you like a layer of silt, dandruff and dried poop coated nicely on everything you own even a year later I'm still finding pockets of it.
6) Learn to SAY NO to yourself and more importantly...your feather babies. (Its so hard!)
7) Do Not Join breeder groups because you think its a fun and open community. Its very one way, linear and some other things that really left me with a huge distaste for the entire idea of some breeds I really loves for a very long time. Its VERY OK if my chickens don't have pedigree toe nails, doesn't make them any less than amazing.
[/QUOTE]
You are so right! All that matters is that your birds are healthy, happy, cared for and that you are happy with them and that you enjoy doing it and having them. If you no longer enjoy having them and taking care of them and it’s just become a chore then you need to stop and look into rehoming them. Your happiness and their safety and both your health is really what matters most. These days pedigrees don’t mean squat. We are in a time of real uncertainty and unrest in many folks minds. Their is the COVID pandemic, jobs are not secure for millions of people in the U. S. And around the world. Their is natural disaster after natural disaster. Our nations has had three this week including Hurricane Laura that’s on its way with the wildfires out west, the storms that did 1Billion in damages out in Iowa that has not even been televised at all on National TV because of the hurricane scares and people are living in tents and cardboard boxes out there and their state leaders took a week to ask for federal aide which is a disgrace and more of that billion is in crops to feed us than is anything else. That is going to cause problems of its kind. Any how I got on a tangent but uncertain times call for other priorities. Your chickens are a blessing for the most part if they provide you a relief from everyday grind and eggs. Mine have brought me out of severe grief and depression. I feel like I have gotten a little of my old self back. I don’t like people near as much as I do animals. I should have been a Vet but I went into healthcare instead and was going to be a doctor but I met someone and then I didn’t want to go to school for 12 years so I went for 5. Then I got disabled from my job because of constant lifting in it and a health problem that worked together to cause a problem in my back and joints with the back taking me out for good. So I lost my job went on disability then my elderly parents got sick and both passed last couple of years within 6 months of each other and I took care of them. I was the only child had later in life and I was close to both of them. I had two kids and one of mine is special needs so they kept my kids when they were small due to him being unable to go to daycare. We were tight knit unit us six. Their loss was devastating on us all. My Dad was a WWII Veteran and like no other. I miss him like my right arm. He would be laughing his ass off to know I had chickens. So I am happy to give him some comic relief up there and the chickens have pulled me out of a hole so to speak. Now that I have told everyone on BYC MY LIFE HISTORY I will shutup and wish you happy chicken keeping. No pedigree required.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

1: Not deworming the flock.
2. Not sufficiently quarantining new arrivals to the flock.

1) We now deworm on a regular schedule with a broad spectrum dewormer. Worms can kill, and quickly.

2) We now quarantine ALL arrivals for no less than 3 weeks, sometimes up to five. When we first got chickens, my son got some at an auction. Although they were quarantined, quarantine was not sufficient. They had ILT (infectious larygeotracheitis). It was a horrible, humbling, and terribly sad, but very good learning experience. Quarantine also makes everything a whole lot less stressful..not only for the new arrivals, but also for the existing flock. And, except on rare occasions, in most instances we either hatch our own chicks, get chicks from a reputable hatchery, buy birds from a reputable breeder, or from places or individuals where we''re very sure they have healthy birds. We try to avoid swaps, although we will still buy from one occasionally. I will never buy from another auction.

Would you mind elaborating on your working methods please? And would you mind sharing what dewormer you use? I am a newbie. My flock of nine girls are 14 weeks. They have had Mareks vaccinations and I gave them medicated feed and stopped it a couple weeks prior to them going outside like some recommended on here so I hope that was good. They got about 7 weeks of it. Hope that was appropriate. I have gotten mixed opinions on dewormed from posters on here. Some have said they deworm and some not. I live in the South. Mississippi. I have two small dogs but they don’t share the run space with them and they are also Vet checked and monitored regularly and dewormed also. My chicks do not free range but have a very large run for nine girls. I passed chicken math with an A+ too. My husband has ensured that we have made sure of that. . I appreciate you being willing to share. Thanks in advance.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

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.

We had rain that was the remnants of Marco the first of the two hurricanes plaguing the Gulf Coast and it got dark an hour earlier than normal and my girls were in and out of the coop all day today taking naps on the shavings and out of the wind. Their run is fully covered by a nice metal roof with a foot of overhang on each side but I think they just had the rainy day droops like we did. It was our first rainy day that we have had in weeks and the first one that the girls have experienced ever since they have been outside in their coop for close to a month. I usually shut the door of the coop at 7:50 CST and I locked up right at 7:00 pm. They were already packed down right together in their little balls and a few were already asleep. The ones who watch were still up looking for me to come lock up but that was it. The rest were down for the count. I pushed the battery operated light to come on in the coop just to take a quick head count and just do a quick peak at them and they were out. I mean out. I laughed. They are so cute and still funny to me even at 14 weeks. They still like to sleep all clumped together like when they were little babies. My girls were born in the same place on the same date but they are three each of three different breeds but they don’t know that they didn’t come from the same Mama - me! Lol! They really are sisters in their eyes. I don’t think I will ever be able to introduce another chicken into this flock of nine unless it’s a bunch of them. I couldn’t introduce just a few. They are so close a unit I don’t think they would let a few in. They are tight tight.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

No you did not make me angry. I was just putting our own circumstances out there. When I see photos of some of the set-ups here I wish my girls could have those. But like I said, we do the best with what we got (plus a LOT of recycling materials). I myself did not take offense. But believe when I say this.... if I ever breakdown and buy a lottery ticket and win, my chooks would be living in a run/coop that would be featured in “glamorous chick” magazine lol!!!

Everyone on here gives a rip or they wouldn’t be on here for the most part. Some are stalking and trying to find ways to make money but most are looking to take better care of their chickens they have or want to get in the future. So we all want to do the best we can for them and know that the other is doing the best they can. No judgement by me unless you just openly make validly stupid remarks that simply plainly display your idiocy! Lol! I’m sorry I couldn’t help it cause one guy on here earlier told that he actually bought Twelve chicks on a whim no research no nothing and stuck em in a barn at one day old in freezing weather with no heat lamp no nothing heat of any kind and out of the 12 five survive the night. Genius. Would you have admitted that on this forum. I would not. Bright. I’m sorry. I had to judge that. Couldn’t resist. Had to comment on that one. Not rocket science.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

oh my gosh, yes, I just found this out! I've always fed wild birds and just got chickens in August. We have a cooper's hawk that comes to our yard and a peregrine falcon that actually dives into a bush by the feeder to get at the birds hiding from him. We used to like seeing them around till they started attacking the birds at the feeder. And now this week, I couldn't let my chickens out for 3 days because one or the other was in the yard. Needless to say, I'm going to have to stop feeding the wild birds and we now run outside waving arms and making loud noises whenever we see them. And no way are my chickens going out unless I'm there looking all around, checking tall trees and the sky.

You need to talk to a game warden and tell them what is going on. They will help you with a for lack of a better word a “pop” gun sort of device that you can shoot at or around the Hawks or falcon when they are coming around to try a deter them from your area. This will keep them from coming in around hour birds and the wild birds. If the game Watson doesn’t have that type of device to just give you to use then he should be able to tell you what store like a Walmart or a Gun and Ammo shop that will sell that type of pop gun device. It’s to make a loud noise like a gun would make or a loud explosion enough that scares the birds away and keeps them from coming in to your area. I hope this helps.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

It is in fact a very good idea, not just to keep clean but the chickens will recognize you.
They don't change their feathers and people constantly changing their appearance makes them nervous.

That is right. They know me by my muck boots. Mama has the muck boots on and when Sissy comes in to feed she gets the chicken stink and side eye because she doesn’t have the right boots on. Mama where’s the boots and we know who she is. She’s the one who does all the work to feed us, water us, keep us dry and comfy, and our house clean and tidy, and if you don’t have those boots on you ain’t Mama also because Mama brings us our TREATS!!!!!

 

[thepick4uchicks]

Lol, I had PDZ down and then straw and then my chickens and ducks splashed water out of their bowl. I expected that area to be frozen a little, but the entire 10' x 10' coop floor was frozen PDZ and straw. Even areas that couldn't possibly gotten wet.
I scooped it all out and just layed down fresh straw. I don't understand how it froze together, but it was very hard getting it broken up and it off the coop.
As far as biosecurity it's up to you how strict you want to be, but germs are still going to get to your chickens, unless of course you have bubble chickens, like the bubble boy.

PDZ bonds like concrete to any surface after it gets wet. It absorbs pee, poop, water, the ice or moisture in the frozen air- humidity whatever and it is going to be like concrete. I used it for my brooder pens which were two huge dog kennels and it would take just soaking it and my husband would have to do the scrubbing it off afterwards. I wasn’t strong enough to get it off the kennel bottoms. Tough but good stuff.