Common knowledge that an inexperienced person should know?

[Double Yolked]

I just want to get a roo to alert me when this pesky teen hawk is around. Chickens are in a giant run so the hawk cant get to them but the hens only react when the hawk is basically right next to them.

My roo's were always peacemakers for my hens or kept because I wanted natural chicks over bought chicks. I have never had a roo' that was worth while as a "watch chicken". I'd invest in a covered run rather than a rooster. Less headaches.

 

[ILoveDaffy]

THEY ARE SMARTER THAN YOU THINK. I have a one step latch,(Only for the moment, while I find a better one.) and Two pesky leghorn hens in my flock figured out how to hit the coop door just right to get it open and let them all out. Save yourself the effort of chasing all of them back in, and get two step latches.

 

[3KillerBs]

Two pesky leghorn hens in my flock figured out how to hit the coop door just right to get it open and let them all out.

I am not surprised it was Leghorns.

My California Whites are Leghorn-adjacent and they're the smartest of my flock.

 

[ILoveDaffy]

I couldn't believe it. I had thought someone was letting them out.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

THEY ARE SMARTER THAN YOU THINK. I have a one step latch,(Only for the moment, while I find a better one.) and Two pesky leghorn hens in my flock figured out how to hit the coop door just right to get it open and let them all out. Save yourself the effort of chasing all of them back in, and get two step latches.

I am not surprised it was Leghorns.

My California Whites are Leghorn-adjacent and they're the smartest of my flock.

Don't even have to be smart. We have those gate latches on two pens. One of my previous males learned he could brute force it open if he jumped and kicked it right. Idiot ended up breaking his toes

 

[ILoveDaffy]

Use hardware cloth, not chicken wire, if you have cold winters get a waterer heater, and check all doors twice.

 

[Chickn Keaper]

Hi everyone

I own a very small flock (2 turkeys, 4 chickens, some quail and recently newly hatched chicks)
I am very new still to owning poultry and theres alot i do not know, but when i initially decided to get them i did alot of researching of what they needed, diseases, common problems, how to enrich them and so on. Or so i thought...

Recently one of my hens developed an impacted crop (she is perfectly fine btw, it wasnt a bad case and i noticed it early). And prior to this and even though i did alot of research i had not heard of this even though its fairly common. I now know it was entirely my fault due to me allowing them to eat long grass and weeds. again i just didnt know about such things.

So i will get to my point. what are some common things about chickens or other poultry that someone should know but dont usually find out until it happens? It doesnt have to be health related either.

Im genuinely curious as to what people have discovered during their time with their fluffy bums.

Ill give some of mine that i discovered
- quails will randomly jump straight up in the air for no apparent reason.
- turkeys (atleast mine do) get the zoomies similar to what dogs and cats do.
-chickens try to mimic some things they see me do. They saw me kicking around a tennis ball and now they all suddenly scratch at small balls to move them around.

thank you

Get a book called chicken health. Amazon and tractor supply have them.

 

[ChickyCh00k]

Get a book called chicken health. Amazon and tractor supply have them.

This one:

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Breeding birds isn't going to make you rich. Don't get expensive and fragile birds,, expecting expecting hatch a bunch of eggs and triple your money

 

[ILoveDaffy]

THEY ARE SMARTER THAN YOU THINK. I have a one step latch,(Only for the moment, while I find a better one.) and Two pesky leghorn hens in my flock figured out how to hit the coop door just right to get it open and let them all out. Save yourself the effort of chasing all of them back in, and get two step latches.

Happened again today. Leghorns are just too smart and flighty for me. I prefer my Easter Eggers, Australorp, and Orpingtons. I pointed to the coop and said," Excuse me, you aren't supposed to be out unsupervised. Back in. Go." They actually went! Leghorns, bantams and Turkey hens did not. That caused me to spend 15 minutes frantically chasing them back in.