Chicken chores in the dark!

[chicmom]

Well, it's that time of year again! I rush home from work, and immediately head outside to try and get my chicken chores done before dark......Fill up the feeders and give them fresh water....... Try and clean up a little bit of chicken poo here and there.......Take a rake and fluff up the straw and shavings......Collect the eggs! DONE!

DH put lights in my two coops now, so I can see inside, but I can't see much outside.....Yesterday, I nearly walked through a fence (one of those net kinds)......DH is thinking of getting me a flood light for outside, and that would be fabulous! In the meantime, I have a handy dandy little flashlight. I'm always afraid I'll surprise a skunk or something when I'm walking down to the coops......

I wouldn't mind winter if it didn't get dark so darned early!

 

[johnsons-r-us]

That is my routine too!

Can't get home fast enough.....and if there's traffic, no way to beat the dark. Mine free range but come out of the coop when they hear the car....they know I'm coming......

 

[wvchickenhouse]

I to rush home to take care of my girls... I hate this time of year because I can't spend much outside time with them

 

[chicmom]

We're in the same boat then.....yesterday, I didn't get started until 6pm, and it was dark already! And so I did the best I could in the dark. So I was done, and collecting the eggs and I kept seeing something jumping at the window of the hen house. (The hen house is big, I was in there....) Anyhow, it was one of my Buckeye hens......She got out and couldn't figure out how to get back in! LOL Good thing I noticed.....

Darned short days!

 

[chicmom]

Quote:
I know what you mean......I think I'm going to put a light in my chicken run (it's got a roof), and bring a chair out there so I can set with them a little bit......after chores of course!

 

[johnsons-r-us]

BRRRR too cold right now to sit in a chair when the sun goes down.....was 16 degrees when I left for work this morning

I spend more time on the weekends before dark. I only have one coop this year.....setting up another this spring. I always look around in the coop for critters too....there is a light in there so I can see at least.

 

[scooter147]

Yep dark in the morning and dark in the evening when I go out. I have a light in the coop too.

 

[SuperChickenDude327]

I've got a handy light on my hat to walk out and do some midnight chores. Very useful, allows me to have a light on exactly what I'm looking at.

 

[nickie]

My absolute favorite

is going outside in the dark and splashing through the mud in my work clothes first thing in the morning to feed and water them. Dark I don't mind, its going to work with mud on my pants and no way around it with as much rain as we've had this year.

 

[bucky52]

I do the same thing.rush home first thing go down check the chickens make sure everthings ok.we have a retail store and my husband tells all our customers that the chickens get fed before he does.haha.so true.he loves our three girls as much as i do.he has bulit them a little cozy house with lights.