What would you do over if you could start anew?

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Mrs Ugh said:
Amen to your statement about feed! I am brand new and I listened to another chicken owner who was shopping at the store. She said all the feeds were about the same and I should just go right to the layer feed to save money. I am pretty sure it cost me at least one chick and i have another one on the edge. Hopefully finding the correct advice here has saved the others.
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How old..how long were they eating it?

I hope they don't wind up with gout.. I am dealing with it and it's awful. I am trying an experimental treatment, DL-Methionine, and if you wind up with it, it would be worth trying.
 
Get a bigger coop than you think you'll need because sometimes chickens don't want to be that close to one another. Integration is a pain, so try and get the number of chickens you want in the initial chicken purchase. Coop ready chickens are easier than the cute baby chicks. Less worry and potential deaths.
 
BabyBoss said:
Been more careful with my feed, because now my birds are sick

As a veteran chicken owner I've kind of been through a lot. I love my chickens. This year, many of my birds are very sick with Gout. Because young birds ate layer feed, and got too much calcium in the body. Now they are dying. There are so many things to know and prevent and learn and a lot of it comes at heartbreaking expense of a living being.
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Mrs Ugh said:
Amen to your statement about feed! I am brand new and I listened to another chicken owner who was shopping at the store. She said all the feeds were about the same and I should just go right to the layer feed to save money. I am pretty sure it cost me at least one chick and i have another one on the edge. Hopefully finding the correct advice here has saved the others.
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Oh my gosh that is heartbreaking!

I almost did the same thing....
When I ran out of starter feed, I almost bought layer feed because someone told me they'll be eating it soon anyway. But I remember reading here that it has too much calcium for young chicks & my girls were only 5-6 weeks at that point.

My girls are still eating through the enormous bag of grower feed I had to buy, but I'm giving them oyster shell free choice & they seem to be ok. Actually their eggshells are hard to crack they're so hard! Is it because they're so little?
Anyway I'm sending tons of warm healing wishes to your girls!! :hugs
 
Adding in something, that I feel EVERYONE should have before they get their first chick... and that's a CHICKEN FIRST AID KIT. Although we all hope for the best, we should be prepared for the worst.

I know there's an article on here where it tells you a very basic *necessity kit* for chickies, but I'd get VetRx, NutriDentch, Corid and a dewormer first and foremost. Add in a triple antibiotic ointment and aspirin, some vaseline, etc.

Here's the link: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/topic-of-the-week-emergency-first-aid-preparedness.1149741/
 
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