How it started / How it’s going

It’s now been over a year since my wife & I started keeping chickens & even though we spent tons of time researching & prepping beforehand, there’s still many lessons learned (& certainly still many more to come). I thought I’d make a post about some of the highlights with the hopes that maybe there’s a few people out there who’re able to glean at least a little helpful info from our experience so far. For most of this, I feel like experienced stewards would read & reply “well no shit that’s self explanatory” but to n00bs, many times it isn’t!

- Don’t trust that a chick is sexed if it’s from a local farmer unless they’re reputable! When we were still only a couple months in, one of the farmers we got chicks from told us “yes these chicks will be hens” & we trusted them because we didn’t know any better. Of course, none of them were hens & of course, that farmer doesn’t take back roosters. We do not associate with that farmer anymore & we do not recommend that farmer to locals.

- Have a chick-turned-rooster contingency plan! If you don’t want a rooster but you’re buying chicks from a local farmer while they’re still too young to tell the sex, in my opinion it’s best to buy those chicks from farmers who openly say they will take back roosters & exchange them for hens.

- When shopping for coops, don’t trust the “houses X number of chickens” number they use for marketing. They often use bantams (small chickens) for that number which is disingenuous. Instead, look at the dimensions & try to aim for 1 linear foot of space per bird on the roost bar(s) plus 4 square feet of floor space per bird as a rough guide.

- If you intend to free range your birds, accept that you will lose some to predators. It’s not a matter of if but when. People who free range tend to more readily embrace chicken math, especially if they have more land & more chances to lose birds.

- If you don’t want to lose any to predators, then accept that you will have to put in the work to properly predator proof your coop & run. Fortunately (or unfortunately…) this sub has no shortage of people posting about their chickens getting got, so it’s really easy to see the most common pitfalls where people tend to go wrong (examples: thinking chicken wire is enough, not using 1/2” hardware cloth, trusting their “very sweet dog”, etc). We haven’t lost a bird to predation yet & when we give them free range time, they’re supervised (& we don’t ever have the dog out at the same time the chickens are out because we don’t want to risk it, period, no matter how cute the interactions would be… not worth it to us.)

- Don’t assume that a hawk will avoid the chickens just because you’re out & about with them. We’ve had hawks try to swipe at our birds while we’re less than 10 feet away! Juvenile raptors seem to be more ballsy & if food is scarce during a certain time of year, they’ll be more desperate.

- If your birds aren’t vaccinated for Mareks, be on the lookout for eye tumors as an early indicator. [We made a post about a case last year & it almost swelled to the size of a ping pong ball before going away](https://www.reddit.com/r/BackYardChickens/s/kaaoFsVNiW). We didn’t know at the time it was an early sign of Mareks & we thought the eye drops helped it go away. Then this past February she developed a limp, we thought maybe from bumble foot or a sprained ankle but her feet were fine & within 1-2 weeks, she became mostly paralyzed. We had to put her down & we dearly miss that bird, rest in peace Agnes. She was so sweet & we really coddled her when she couldn’t function without us. Mareks is a very cruel disease, buy vaccinated chicks when possible!

- If you have a chick who seems sleepy while standing up & won’t eat, keep a close eye on them & consider checking for coccidiosis. [I was able to save a chick last year from it](https://www.reddit.com/r/BackYardChickens/s/Ikit4KEisp), but it wouldn’t have been as bad if we treated sooner. I’m still a little upset about putting her through that, I feel negligent for not knowing better at the time but she’s a happy healthy hen now!

- For more permanent predator proofing attachments, use stainless steel zip ties instead of plastic zip ties (even “heavy duty” ones), eventually plastic zip ties under tension will snap from expand/contract hot/cold cycles & if they’re exposed to direct sun.

- My last point here isn’t personal but instead something that we frequently witness with the public at our local library. The library hatches chicks for educational purposes & it’s a cute, fun learning experience for all involved. However, many families with young children have the idea that these animals are disposable pets with the sole purpose of making their children happy. The number of parents we see grief library staff for not letting children handle chicks for very long, or not at all, is baffling. These are domesticated livestock, not kittens or puppies! I really wish more parents would teach their children more respect for living creatures, & I also wish parents would have more respect for public service workers!

- Finally a big thank you to the sub as a whole, I’ve learned a great deal from y’all & I’m appreciative! (but please try to minimize the horror stories with easily-preventable circumstances… 😅)