Chickens Chores

[coltcogburn00]

Hi Backyard chicken lovers . I want to know what you do for chores . I have one but it take to long to do all of it in the morning because i have to go at 7:45 am and don't get home till dark.

 

[chfite]

Drink coffee. Feed dogs, open run, check water, check food, collect eggs.

Chris

 

[donrae]

Daily--feed, check water, collect eggs. Try to visualize each flock member, but this is hit or miss
Bi-Weekly--fill waterers.
Weekly--rake through deep liter in the corners to check for eggs that got covered by bedding and missed.
Probably twice a year--add shavings to coop
Yearly or as needed--clean coop.

This time of year, a head lamp is my best friend. Light where I need it, hands free.

 

[chicksurreal]

Hmmm. Lets see... Daily -

Let chickens out of coop into run first thing, do a head count and overall check on them. Change water and feed them. Then let them out to free range, check on them every 15-20 minutes and make sure dogs are doing their job! (had a bobcat get one cockerel recently, so we are on alert). Feed treats mid morning, no eggs to check for yet, they are still too young, but hopefully that will be added soon!

Round them up around 4:00 P.M and put them back in the run, make sure they get in the coop by 5:30 or so and say goodnight to them.

Weekly - Clean coop and check for mites or other pests.

None of this stuff seems like chores, I have so much fun with them.

 

[fantomas]

Eggs: It's 11 degrees outside. This is my first winter with a flock. The first one started laying on Christmas, now 3 out of 4 of them are laying! I work 3rd shift so I check for eggs when I get home at 8 AM, when I wake up at 3 PM, and if I stay up or am off, around 11 AM. The first egg we got froze and split open so the goal is to make sure that doesn't happen again.

Water/Food: Again, it's 11 degrees outside. Every morning when I get home from work I refill the water bowl since whatever leftover water is frozen. I leave enough food out for them to eat as they please, and only have to refill it once every week or two. I supplement pellets with sprouted wheat every morning or afternoon. A few times a day I take 30 seconds on the wheat grass operation in the basement, and once a week I look at the meal worm farm.

Cleaning: I use a sand bed and try to clean it at least once a week. But again, it's 11 degrees outside so I can think of 100 other things I'd rather be doing (like drinking a hot cocoa while looking out the window at the coop).

In the mornings I do a head count, and if I let them free range, I'll do a head count every 30-45 minutes. We live on 1/3 of an acre and they are surprisingly good at staying within our fenced in back yard.

 

[chicksurreal]

Eggs: It's 11 degrees outside. This is my first winter with a flock. The first one started laying on Christmas, now 3 out of 4 of them are laying! I work 3rd shift so I check for eggs when I get home at 8 AM, when I wake up at 3 PM, and if I stay up or am off, around 11 AM. The first egg we got froze and split open so the goal is to make sure that doesn't happen again.

Water/Food: Again, it's 11 degrees outside. Every morning when I get home from work I refill the water bowl since whatever leftover water is frozen. I leave enough food out for them to eat as they please, and only have to refill it once every week or two. I supplement pellets with sprouted wheat every morning or afternoon. A few times a day I take 30 seconds on the wheat grass operation in the basement, and once a week I look at the meal worm farm.

Cleaning: I use a sand bed and try to clean it at least once a week. But again, it's 11 degrees outside so I can think of 100 other things I'd rather be doing (like drinking a hot cocoa while looking out the window at the coop).

In the mornings I do a head count, and if I let them free range, I'll do a head count every 30-45 minutes. We live on 1/3 of an acre and they are surprisingly good at staying within our fenced in back yard.

Yikes! 11 degrees! Temps got down to 19 overnight here a few weeks ago and my poor chickens hated it! They didn't even want to come out of the coop in the morning.

I also grow wheatgrass, I juice it for us and the chickens LOVE the tender shoots when they are just sprouting. I don't have a mealworm farm yet but it is a good idea for winter. We have an abundance of bugs from spring through late autumn, but none right now. So, it's something to think about.

 

[fantomas]

Yikes! 11 degrees! Temps got down to 19 overnight here a few weeks ago and my poor chickens hated it! They didn't even want to come out of the coop in the morning.

I also grow wheatgrass, I juice it for us and the chickens LOVE the tender shoots when they are just sprouting. I don't have a mealworm farm yet but it is a good idea for winter. We have an abundance of bugs from spring through late autumn, but none right now. So, it's something to think about.

It's actually 8 degrees now. Tomorrow will be a high of 15 degrees, and tomorrow night will be a low of -2. Also in the process of getting about 8" of snow at the moment. Between the weather and the taxes, I'm ready for a move!

 

[chicksurreal]

It's actually 8 degrees now. Tomorrow will be a high of 15 degrees, and tomorrow night will be a low of -2. Also in the process of getting about 8" of snow at the moment. Between the weather and the taxes, I'm ready for a move!

Wow! I would be too. the weather alone would do it for me. Of course, I'm an Arizona girl, born and raised, so single digit temps are not something I'm very familiar with.

I can take summers that get up into the 110's and more, but those icy cold temps? No thanks!

 

[4 the Birds]

Hi Backyard chicken lovers . I want to know what you do for chores . I have one but it take to long to do all of it in the morning because i have to go at 7:45 am and don't get home till dark.

Get yourself a headlamp for the dark and do your chores in the evening!

Many new chicken owners are not prepared for the daily chores associated with owning chickens. They need feed, fresh water, and some degree of poop management every day. A day can be skipped if you are out of town and you have ample water/feed dispensers.

 

[fiberart57]

I hear you. I leave home in the dark and come home in the dark now, it's annoying.

I feed, water and clean the coop in the am with a flashlight before work. They're still on their roosts and I can just pick up the little piles. The girls grumble a bit but they're about to get up anyway.

I pay two young girls from across the street to come over after school during the daylight to throw scratch.

I do a head count and body check when I come home, say, "Night, night, sweetie pies."' Close them up, get the eggs, and done.