What's the hardest part?

[DianeS]

I am doing my research before getting chickens next year. I thought I wanted to start with pullets at the point of laying, but now I'm not sure. Maybe I want to start with day-olds instead.

What do you find to be the hardest part of raising baby chicks?

Is the daily care (food, water, heat, etc) difficult for you?

Is it all the possible diseases they could get when they're so small?

Predators?

Are there decisions to be made that really stress you out?

Something else?

Thanks!

 

[wing it]

not getting more baby chicks!

 

[BellaLulaFarm]

Quote:
Yup!

They're actually not all that hard. This is from someone who had chick anxiety dreams every night for the first week that I had them, and would get up in the middle of the night to check on them.

 

[FrenchHen]

the hard part is culling when one is sick or injured.

the rest is easier than cat care!

 

[briteday]

Quote:

 

[srodems]

Chicks and chickens are amazingly easy to take care of. This forum is a WORLD of help. My biggest challenge was that I got my chicks two years ago and hadn't built the coop yet. They were quickly outgrowing the space we gave them in the kitchen, and starting to escape. One weekend I knocked out the coop, which nearly knocked me out!

Now that I have a coop and just extended their run, we just got four more chicks....sitting in their box now, and will be ready to integrate in a few months....now I have to expand the coop....yikes!

Good luck, and use this forum...it is very valuable.

Your biggest problem will be in resisting to get more.....

 

[Tala]

A lot of people I know in real life (who are not chicken ADDICTS like us on BYC) refuse to raise chicks, coz they find it hard I guess.
Me, I think chicks are as easy to rasie, or as complicated as you make it.\\

I got some young chicks from TSC, I mean they barely had wing feathers, 3-4 days old. Put them in an outdoor doghouse-converted-to-brooder with some older chicks that I already had, and except for one that escaped and died, they are all growing up nicely!! No pasty butts or any complications. I moved them out to the tractor and on grass at approx a week old, and all I do is move the tractor, feed and water every morning. They raise themselves!!!
Right now I have 24 more chicks in the house that COULD go outside to the doghouse, but I kinda like watching them for a little while longer! lol I will put them out whenever they start to smell, but I could always just clean the brooder, put down fresh pine, and keep watching them even longer!
Chickens are easy. Much easier than my dogs, let me tell ya!!!

ETA: the hardest part is when you have to cull one (I haven't had to yet) or when one dies suddenly, for no apparent reason. I had never lost a chick until that one escaped a couple of weeks ago, but I've lost 2 that I hatched myself a few days ago. You just have to move on.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

No stess here only relaxation. AND I ALWAYS hunger for more babies! They are so much fun. YOur going to be addicted in no time at all. We started with six and we now have close to 100

I have to add that the culling IS indeed the hardest part! Hubby does that for me though. Poor guy...he doesn't like it much either.

 

[lizzy06019]

I'm new to chickens (my chicks are 3 weeks old) and I was worried about how much time they'd take up caring for them and they aren't hard at all. I clean out their waterer and food once or twice a day. The rest of my day is spent sitting in front of the brooder and watching them with my 4 year old and 1 year old!!!! We haven't gotten anything done around here in 3 weeks

 

[KandJsmama]

It's over so quickly. I am glad we started with day-old chicks. I think it bonded us with them better too. Our hardest part was when they were big enough to fly out of the box I was brooding them in and I would find them in different locations in my laundry room. I was so worried about the temperature thing but once you get your light in the right spot, it is pretty easy to maintain the temp. Good luck with whatever you choose.