What would you do over if you could start anew?

[drumstick diva]

Make SURE you are allowed to have chicken where you live. There is always one or two neighbors, who feel their sole purpose in life it to turn you in to authorities. NO free eggs for them.

 

[Smuvers Farm]

1. I definitely wouldn't have put the cart before the horse..... meaning, I had a BROODER set up, but no coop or run. We last minute jeririgged together a small run for the *store bought* coop, but kept putting off building a run until we had to hire someone to help.

2. I wouldn't have gotten a 2nd flock started when I hadn't even completed the run for the first flock!

3. I would have asked fellow chicken keepers, or even straight farmers, where they get their building materials. I spent at LEAST $600 on hardware cloth ALONE I ordered through Amazon, as I couldn't find any local that was cheaper.

4. Asked more questions here on BYC and/or more topic searches. Although the searches can bring up random stuff that has nothing to do with what I search for, it can lead me in a better direction.

 

[KentuckyRooster]

I would have-

Read up more on breeds- I would have learned of my favorites sooner
Not gotten hatchery chickens, ever, there are local breeders with great birds worth every cent
Not gotten chicks- adolescents are much better IMO
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.

 

[sourland]

Once that you have determined that chickens are allowed where you live, build your coop 3 or 4 times larger than you think you will ever need.

 

[Bhapimama]

Be careful about free-ranging around the time that they begin laying eggs. You want them to lay in their nesting boxes. Mine had secret nests out in the yard. It took a couple days of "tough love" by making them stay in the run until everyone was laying in the boxes.

 

[Dayrel]

Ceramic eggs / golf balls really help with letting the pullets figure out where to lay. Chickens like to lay where others have already deposited their eggs.

 

[peckpeckpeck]

Definitely GO BIGGER!

I figured we'd get 3 maybe 4 hens so I got something that's supposed to be for 8 chickens. Definitely not big enough!!
We're now extending the run & converting a playhouse into a 2nd coop/shelter area, so they can be outside but covered when it's raining.
I know we'll be adding on again when we do get more chicks next spring.
Chicken Math is REAL!!

WEATHER
I saw that wood just rots quickly with all the rain here in the NW, so I went with plastic instead & so glad I did!
Find your state forum & see what people who live near you did that works.

Good luck!

 

[RodNTN]

Hello there! And It is wonderful to have you here with us, best wishes!

 

[BantyChooks]

I would have started off with breeds that were correct for my climate. It would have saved me a lot of work with preventing frostbite and caring for birds that got it anyway. I was going to say that I wouldn't have gotten hatchery birds either, but then again I think it's better to have your learning curve on $1.50 birds instead of $50.

I started with 40 birds and a 12 x 14 coop so going bigger is not something on my list. It's still a good thing for you to plan for because chicken math will hit.

 

[Mrs Ugh]

... 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.

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.