Chicken chores today!

[maizey]

I have had the most delightful morning sipping my coffee and catching up on whats happening in byc and (and facebook of course!) I have the week off and Im going to start a few chicken chores around here. Im going to clean out the coop, nail a lip across the nest boxes to keep the litter in them better, rake out the run and scatter in some fresh leaf litter and pine straw to give them new scratching material, paint the coop, run to TSC and get some alfalfa pellets to up their greenery, and build a little fenced off composting area to compost the litter in. I don't want the dog digging in it so thats why im putting up a little fence around it. Anyone else have some chicken chores they will be working on this week? I would so much rather work with chickens than people! I love being off! Anyone else have chicken chores this week?

 

[gmendoza]

I have chicken chores this weekend. The company I work for is giving the 3rd off for new years day.

That means 3 days of chicken chores!

Got to clean out the old coop and git it red-eye for meat birds and meat rabbits. Then got to repair and replace old boards and the wire fence in front with some slatted pallets and new wire fencing. Got to take down the sick box and remake a new one for the new coop. The new coop needs inside locks so I can work inside the coop and run with ease.

Then its compost time! got to rake out the old coop since it hasnt been in use since October and I have alot of pine shavings to go into the compost bin in the garden along with the compost from my tumbler.

Then after that I got to cut old boards that are lying around and some old bamboo for the fireplace,and clean that area because there were mice. after that I will clear those areas and the bamboo area will be my new worm compost area,and where the old boards next to the garden fence will have my old tires were I will fill them with dirt and start my witches garden out of them.My wife gets the whole garden to herself now.How convienent. she finally kicked me out of the garden!

Then I need to repair the two quail hutches to make them mice proof and repair the quail sick box.

Then its off to the greenhouse to make a floor there out of pine shavings.also to repair the roof.

then go and do my weekly checking of beaks,wings,and feet.

 

[gryeyes]

I got up too late to do much more than open the run gate and see that the main feeder was okay. I'll come back on my lunch hour and top off all the feeders, refill the waterers and maybe even gather an egg or few.

I hate the shorter days....... I never see the chickens until the weekends unless I go home for lunch. Just dawn when I leave, full dark when I get home.

 

[maizey]

I know what you mean greyeyes...im usually leaving when they come out of the coop and comming home just in time to lock them in...plus its COLD!!! I have a chair out by the run that I like to sip my coffee in on nice days..but those have been few and far between latley. I already have spring fever and its not even new years!

I got all my chores done today except for the compost area...hubby will have to saw some lumber for me for that one...which really bites because its probably going to be saturday before he gets the chance.

But my chicks are happy campers ...they have a perky painted coop, a nice raked yard with nice new litter in it for scratching in, a nice warm fluffed litter layer to the coop and they got to come out and play while i was working in the yard. They are finishing off some less than perfect grapes as I type this and they have alfalfa pellets to much on tomorrow...Im a happy camper too

 

[Kate in CT]

Wow . . .never thought I'd be jealous reading a list of chores! At the moment, mine mostly involve SNOW. As in, clear the driveway AGAIN, shovel a path to the coop. My birds have been inside for the last few days; when I walked out to the coop this afternoon there was a "welcoming" committee in the window to make sure I knew how unamused they were to be kept inside. I opened their pop door . . .three heads peaked out, looked at the snow, and went back inside. Then they considered making a break for it through the walk in door . . .until they saw the snow. As I refilled their water and feed, I was roundly scolded for failing to provide a chicken friendly winter.

They're as bad as the dogs who keep waiting for me to open the door that has summer on the other side of it . . .

 

[maizey]

see, ive always been jealous of the snow.. but after reading on here about several folks and the trials and tribulation of dealing with it... I guess im pretty thankful not to have it. I mean a day or two of it might be fun (especially if they cancel school, on a friday, for it) but I think I would get sick of it pretty quick if I had to deal with it long term. If you ever find a way to open that door that has summer on the other side of it, let me know... that image lifted my heart