While keeping chickens certainly isn't rocket science, doing it properly does involve decent levels of understanding, commitment, and attention to detail. Getting the basics right is essential, and this demands a solid appreciation of important areas such as housing, feeding, breed choice, and health requirements.
There is plenty to think about for those getting their first chickens, and careful planning is the key to a successful initial experience. One thing that complicates matters is the chickens' ability to disguise problems. Although this might seem a useful ability, it actually makes recognizing trouble in the crucial, early stages that much more difficult, even for experienced owners. And although chickens are remarkably resilient creatures, like any other animal kept in the domestic environment they remain vulnerable to the effects of neglect and poor levels of welfare. There is plenty of potential for things to go wrong and, unfortunately, it's always the chickens that suffer when problems strike.
The Chicken Keeper's Problem Solver explains the causes of, and provides solutions for, 100 of the most common problems faced by chicken owners.
