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Common mistakes that new chicken keepers make and how to avoid them

Raising chickens is a lot of fun, but at first, it can be exhausting. If you’re a nervous beginner, one of the best things you can do is learn about all the common chicken mistakes, so you can make sure you don’t make them. There is a lot to learn and unlike most pets, these animals live outside all year round and have their own rules.

These common chicken mistakes are easy to avoid, and will help keep your flock happy, healthy, and producing lots of delicious eggs.

10 mistakes to avoid

1. Grain mixture

Cereal mixture like muesli for chicken. And muesli is good and healthy, isn’t it? Not for chickens! Corn mixes are just about the worst feed choice for raising chickens. Different grain combinations are interesting, but the result is that the chickens eat the ones they like and miss the others. Not only do these spilled and wasted feed attract rodents, rat etc , but it also means that your chickens are not getting the right amount of food.

Avoid nutritional deficiencies that lead to poor health and reduced egg production. Choose complete feed and pellets (or puree) to give your chickens the right nutrition.

2. Skimping on feed

Poultry farmers often try to save money by skimping chicken feed. Many websites advocate limiting access to feed, adding cheap chicken feed and corn, or using cheap ingredients to prepare homemade meals. This is terrible advice!

Without proper nutrition, chickens lay fewer eggs and are more susceptible to many parasites and diseases. The listing business has exactly what the hen needs. Even small changes, such as adding food and cheap grains, upset this delicate balance. It may seem impossible, but using feed in any way will cost you money in the long run because your hens will lay fewer eggs and suffer more.

3. Lots of scraps and treats

As good as it is to see kitchen scraps turn into new eggs, giving your chickens plenty of feed every day is another mistake that new chicken keepers make.

Nutrition is the most important factor in keeping chickens productive. For optimal health, the majority of a hen’s diet should include adequate layer feed. Anything that replaces the feed, such as leftovers, makes the nutrients in the feed ineffective.

Avoid malnutrition, obesity and health problems by limiting leftovers to less than 10% of your chicken’s diet. Avoid foods high in sugar, salt, fat and free carbohydrates, including white bread and pasta. Also clean the uneaten items regularly to avoid attracting rats.

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4. Round roosts

Chickens began to sleep in trees, so they like to roost at night. But new chicken keepers often prepare their houses with a round roosts, like a broomsticks. Although chickens will use these roosts if they are the only option, a small round roosts is bad for chicken feet.

Chickens are not like parrots: their feet are not curl around wood. If they are given a choice, the chickens will choose a branch that is too big to get into, so that their legs will fit and their toes will meet at the edge of the roost, Broomsticks are too thin for even bantam chickens feet.

Prepare your chicken coop with a sturdy, level roost. 2x4s or thick tree branches are excellent choices that will be safe for your chickens and prevent foot, leg, and bone problems in the long run.

5. Washing eggs

Chicken egg is covered with a protective coating which is called the bloom. The bloom protects the egg from bacteria entering the shell. Washing the egg removes the bloom, making the egg more susceptible to contamination and damage. And using cold water or putting eggs under the tap can cause contamination!

Don’t wash clean eggs. If an egg has stains on it, try removing it first with a dry paper towel. For stubborn stains, use a paper towel soaked in warm water. Store the eggs in the refrigerator and use them as soon as possible.

6. Forgetting the shell grit

Shell grit is essential for healthy chickens.The grit aids digestion, while the calcium content is important for egg shell production. Calcium deficiency can develop over time in growing chickens, causing bone damage and other problems.

Once your chickens reach the laying stage, give free access to shell grits regularly, but do not mix shell grits with feed. Don’t worry if your chickens don’t seem to eat a lot of shell grit: they know how much they need to stay healthy!

7. Dry clean the chicken coop without a mask

You’d be surprised how many bird owners and chicken keepers clean up dry poop without a mask.

Your are unlikely to get sick. If you practice good hygiene, such as washing your hands after handling your chicken. But that’s not all you have on hand! Dry birds droppings are often dusty, and this dust can cause disease if inhaled.

However, the chicken house is dusty and dusty is not good for the lungs. That’s why we recommend that you wash the chicken coop before cleaning it – hot water is better with compost anyway! – wearing a mask.

8. Dirty food and water

We have all seen chicken farmers scattering grain or scraps on the ground. Chickens are also guilty of scavenging and scavenging food from unsanitary feeders on the ground!

Viruses and diseases are spread through bird droppings and can be on the ground. Dirty feed and water are the most common causes of disease and parasites in poultry. Keep your chickens healthy with clean food and water. Invest in a feeder that keeps food clean and on the floor, and always use a clean bowl for leftovers or treats. Drinkers should be closed and have a teat or cup opening that prevents chickens from getting into the water.

Feed and water feed is the easiest way to set up a new chicken coop with clean food and water.

9. Leave food on the ground

Despite what people say, chickens and mice are not supposed to get along. If you act as soon as you see signs of rodents, you can keep chickens for many years without any rodent problems!

The problem is that many people who raise chickens do not think about mice in the first place, so they make the mistake of attracting rats and mice to them. And once a mouse finds an easy, reliable source of food, getting rid of them is much more difficult. Eating on the ground is a common behavior that rats and rats are attracted to in chicken coops. This can include food spills from improperly designed feeders, food waste from grain mixes, or food waste. If there is no food on the ground, especially at night, the mouse is rarely able to find your chicken house a beautiful place to live.

Avoid rodent problems by starting with good habits. Do not feed your chickens on the floor, cleaning up uneaten waste and any spilled food. Avoid grain mixes that encourage wastage and invest in foods that do the job of keeping food in.

10. Don’t stop the new bird

When you get your first chickens, you obviously don’t want to protect them. But many chicken breeders forget to separate new birds when they start growing their flock (chicken crowding is real!).

Once you have chickens, any new bird can introduce disease into your flock. Infectious diseases can lead to the death of your birds and reduced production.

The best way to protect your flock is to shelter all new birds for at least two weeks (a month is best) before introducing them to your flock. Although maintaining separate storage can be difficult, or even impossible in some yards, it is worth the effort. It’s heartbreaking every time a new chicken breeder adds to their flock, only to lose birds because they didn’t breed,