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Question: Your most frustrating problem with raising chickens

Today I pose a question to you: What is your biggest frustration in chicken keeping? I ask for 2 reasons...mostly I'm just curious, but also maybe we can find solutions to our problems together! Sound good?

 I'll start with my number 1 frustration: How do I get the chickens to stop pooping on the patio? It drives Mr Roboto nuts! The patio and the front walkway are the most bothersome. They know we come out those doors though and they wait for us to come out. They think we should give them treats every time we come outside. They don't always get treats, they just think they should!
raising chickens

 My number 2 frustration: How to get the dog to quit eating the chicken feed? Why on earth does she want to? Her feed has pretty colors and 2 flavors with different shapes! Why layer pellets? They can't taste good, yet every time she walks down to the coop with me I find her face first in the feed trough *sigh*

Lastly, number 3: It's pretty well known that I sell chicks and I get a constant stream of calls and emails from people who want just pullets. I've never actually asked anyone what they suppose happens to the cockerels, or if they understand that chickens generally hatch in a 50/50 ratio. I've always just assumed they already seen the videos of the chick plants with the meat grinders. I don't have one of those....and I'm not going to buy one! 

I get frustrated when they argue with me about how they can buy just pullets somewhere else and why won't I sell them that way? I've tried vent sexing them to see if it's male or female and I can't tell at all! It makes the chick mad though. lol I can't sex them, I don't have auto sexing breeds and what the heck would I do with all those extra roos anyway?

Yeah....I'm frustrated! 

So what frustrates you most about chicken keeping? Leave comments below and lets try to solve these problems!

~L

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10 comments:

  1. NessaSeptember 28, 2013 at 1:18 PM

    I just keep mine as pets so not really raising them. But my biggest frustration is their cruelty to one another. I have had some hens that have been lovely friends and companions to one another, and then others who cosy up with them at night and follow them around scratching in the day only to betray them at any given moment with a sharp pecking attack. I wish they'd just be kind to one another, they are living as a flock after all!

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    1. LA MuranoOctober 2, 2013 at 8:29 AM

      I would guess it's a pecking order thing. Chickens can be funny creatures....I often wonder what they're thinking.

      ~L

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  2. UnknownSeptember 28, 2013 at 11:48 PM

    Having them drop dead for no apparent reason.

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    1. LA MuranoOctober 2, 2013 at 8:19 AM

      Oh wow...that's the worst! I had it happen a few times too. So sad.

      ~L

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  3. Our Neck of the WoodsSeptember 30, 2013 at 11:21 AM

    The most frustrating thing to me is when they get sick and I don't know what's wrong. I've been keeping chickens for over 4 years now so I've learned a few things, but there's still so much I don't know. Our local vet will see chickens, but honestly I've gotten more help from backyardchickens.com than from the vet's office (and it's way cheaper!).

    My dog likes to eat the chickens' pellets too and I don't know why! I guess dogs will eat anything haha.

    PS - Really cute photos! And thanks for pinning my Friday egg post :)

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  4. UnknownOctober 2, 2013 at 9:14 AM

    I've got two that roost in the tree above the coop, currently. We're supposed to have a bit of snow tomorrow. Maybe that will cure them! And I second the sick chicken/expensive vet problem. I took a sick hen to the vet and kept thinking she was leaving the room to go and google the symptoms!

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    1. LA MuranoOctober 20, 2013 at 11:04 AM

      How did the snow day go? Are they roosting in the coop yet?

      Finding an avian vet is not only difficult, but I swear they charge more just because they can! So frustrating!


      ~L

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  5. AnonymousOctober 4, 2013 at 2:38 PM

    I am having a terrible problem with my 4 laying hens. One of them pecks their feathers until they are basically bald on their backs. If they are in laying, I will catch her attacking them. I am thinking the other girls might have learned some bad behavior from her...and maybe they are doing it to each other too. Ugh. I will go out to check them and the coop has feathers all over it. Three of them look so pathetic with feathers missing. I've tried the remedy the feed store had me buy...something that tastes hot and supposedly they will stop. It doesn't work. They are very privileged with a beautiful coop and plenty of space so that's not the problem. There is one who has all of her feathers so I know she is the main culprit. I don't want to butcher her so any ideas will be of help. Thank you.

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  6. AnonymousOctober 9, 2013 at 2:57 PM

    I worry about the noise from our chickens since we do have two roosters (I didn't go the only want pullets route). Although our geese make more racket, and we are quite rural, I dread a neighbor complaining. The biggest frustration is just getting our little flock, which free ranges during the day, to go into their home at night. They would prefer roosting in the trees around our house, and that's not safe for them. It wasn't too bad in the summer but who wants to chase hens for half an hour now that it's cold outside!

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  7. JennyOctober 9, 2013 at 9:17 PM

    My chickens are still young and I am a new chicken keeper but my one and only frustration at this point: they are very persnickety. Very, very persnickety. I'm hoping they'll change once they start laying which should be in about two to three weeks.

    Thanks for sharing this with us at the HomeAcre Hop! We'd love to have you back again tomorrow.

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