Will Chicken Keeping Get Easier?

[Andi]

I hope your girl gets better. I have a flock of 4 girls and you do get attached!

This is my first year, too. Mine are 8 months and it is getting easier. You're not alone. I wondered the same thing myself. I think much of it is that there is so much new stuff to learn that it gets draining. The cost of making the coop and run is also a factor. Then there's the Winter aspect. Next hurdle will be the hot Summer weather and all it brings.

I had to deal with rehoming roosters, too. I also had a chick that just wasn't as healthy as the rest and ended up having to cull her once she got big enough that it looked like her legs were having a hard time supporting her. (I never did figure out what was wrong with her.) What worked for us was burying her in a very deep hole after putting her down. We used the same method as when butchered (first time doing that, too). We put her upside down in a cone and slit her jugular vein and she just faded away.

If you don't have the heart to cull her yourself (and I hope it doesn't come to that), there's likely people close to you that are into hunting that wouldn't have a hard time helping you out with culling. Ask at work. I know I'd have a difficult time now that I've had my girls this long.

Best wishes!

 

[beachchickie]

That's what husbands are for. I got my girls from a feed lot and all have been healthy. I have one hen that got an enlarged crop b/c she couldn't pass something. We gave her olive oil for about 1 wkk and she passed it and got better. I still have her and she is fine. I would not have spent any money on a $3 chick. I have lost 4 hens to hawks so I know that these things happen. I finally have had to come to the conclusion that if anything lives long enough it will die. Me included.

 

[greenbeandreams]

Gulp. I don't know that I could "cull" though I appreciate the descriptions of it. As beachchickie says, that's what husbands are for. If not, Andi, maybe I can find someone local to help me.

Thank you.

 

[1acrefarm]

Things will not be easier and cheaper until you make them so. I never take chickens to the vet. If I can't cure them quickly and easily I cull. I do not need chickens passing on genetic weaknesses nor do I need a high vet bill for a 3 dollar bird. I learned quick not to use those fancy expensive waterers that have to be perfectly level are aggravating to clean and refill and usually don't last long. Chickens are perfectly happy drinking out of five gallon buckets. A worn out pot or pan from the kitchen makes an excellent free feed dish. Waste your money on shavings if you like but I use fallen leaves from pesticide free woods nearby. I think chickens like the leaves better anyway especially since they come with bugs and seeds for them to scratch up. Basically if you treat a chicken like a chicken and not a child it will be happier and you will not work as much or spend as much

 

[honeydoll]

Quote:
Well said. I totally agree. I was getting real worked up about a potential problem with my chickens then I came to terms with the idea of just culling the sick and weak and making my flock strong. Since then I've been able to relax and enjoy. Much better. Otherwise I'd of thrown in the towel and said it's not worth it, it would have been too much.