Nicky - please don't feel despondent. Once you get your girls you will be so excited - they are comical, fascinating and very rewarding. Like you I read through so many items on this forum in preparation for getting mine, and convinced myself that my chooks would have worms, lice, red spider etc. etc. I worried that I would not be able to cope, but after nearly three months as a chicken owner I am much more chilled out. All I can say is give your girls a good and varied diet, be thorough in cleaning out the coop and run, take sensible precautions and things should be fine. As for the rat problem, console yourself with this thought - rats are everywhere, cities, towns and rural locations. True, chickens might attract rodents, but the rodents were already there in the first place - you just might not have noticed. I have eight feeders/feeding stations for wild birds in my garden (in a rural location), and at certain times of year the spilled bird food attracts rats. I haven't seen them recently - a neighbour who has chickens recently had the 'rat man' around. However, I expect there are still more lurking somewhere. I was revolted when I first saw them, but am learning to live with all the bugs and beasties which are after all a part of nature. Happy chicken keeping!
