Daily routine with your flock

[Kellow1]

Hi! I keep the waterer in the coop so they have access to it when they get off their roost in the early morning. I also just like them to always have access to water 24/7 for peace of mind.

Water in the coop can cause excess moisture which, in really cold weather, can cause frostbite. Chickens don't eat or drink after the sun goes down.

 

[Chick Nana 6]

I set my automatic chicken door to open from the coop into the run between 7:30 am to 8:30 am depending on the time of year. I keep dry chicken feed in a 5 gallon covered bucket with PVC pipe openings and water in a covered 5 gallon covered bucket with horizontal nipples (also one in the coop) - see photos, so the chickens can eat and drink when they want to. About 9-10 am I bring out a bowl of fermented food and greens and maybe some cut up fruit or veggies. In the warm weather I bring them a large bowl of ice cold water with a cool whip sized container frozen ice cube - I often freeze cut up grapes, peas, veggie peels, or berries in the water. I collect eggs inside the coop when I drop off the food.

The chickens spend most of the day in the run roosting on logs and a roost made from a long board and carpenter horses or dust bathing in a galvanized tub. A couple of times a week I hang a cabbage, cucumber or large dog treat ball stuffed with greens, fresh herbs and vegetable peels in the run. I let the chickens free range in the late afternoon/early evening until dusk. I collect eggs from the coop when I let the chickens out to free range. My back and side yards are surrounded by woods so free ranging is always supervised. There are fox and coyotes that live in the woods. I have raccoons, opossums, weasels, hawks and owls in my location. At dusk the chickens wander back to the run and enter the coop.

I use pine shavings in a deep litter method and no droppings board. The droppings mix into the pine shavings and breakdown. I deep clean my coop in the spring and fall. I have a removable roost, ramp and nesting boxes (see photo - a modified toy box) that are thoroughly cleaned outdoors. I clean, mostly dust, the inside of the coop as needed, 1-2 times a week. I clean the run ~once a week.

My walk-in coop is 7’ by 10’ and 8’ high, it has an attached shed that is the same size where I store feed (galzanized garbage can), pine shavings, ash, DE, PDZ, ladders, and garden tools.

I invested in a library of chicken keeping books and magazines and read numerous blogs before I hired a contractor to build my coop and run. No regrets or modifications required...and yes, my coop and run have electrical outlets which makes chicken keeping so much easier (fan in coop for extreme heat, electric for chicken door, heated disks for water buckets and large heated dog bowl in freezing weather - I do NOT heat my coop...it’s insulated).

Love my organic egg laying girls! Yep, I feed my girls organic feed and treats!

 

[Wormhunter]

Hi all, I am interested in hearing about the routines other people have with their chickens, like times and events for caring for them on a daily basis.

For example:

A typical day for me involves waking my 6 chickens up around 7:30. This involves opening the bottom coop door to let the hens out into the run. When I do this I pet them a bit and check them over quickly for any issues. I also use this time to freshen their water and food and put them down in the run with them.
During the week, I have work on and off throughout the day (I am a second grade teacher teaching remotely due to the virus so I have availability of and off until around 3) so depending on my schedule, I basically let them out to free range whenever I can supervise (may be 9 to 10, may be 12 to 2, etc). During their free range time, I do coop and run cleaning. I am using the deep litter method in the run so I may sprinkle some grass clippings or pine shavings over the larger poops. I basically just spend a few minutes freshening up the run for them. I am using the deep bedding method in the coop so I scoop out the poops in there and add a fresh layer of bedding in certain areas. This cleaning takes about 15 minutes. I like to do it each day since I have the time currently to do so. After that, I spend some time with the chickens in the yard and then they usually go back in the run for a few hours so I can do more chores and school work inside the house.
I let them free range again from about 5 to 7. They tend to sit with me at this time on my chair which is very cute (my two buff orpingtons sit in my lap like lap dogs and the others perch on the chair arms). Between 7 and 730 they know to go in the run, relax, and slowly move up to their coop. During that time, I am in the house, making dinner, etc.
I'll come back out at around 8 to make sure they are all in the coop, they have their waterer refreshed and back in the coop with them, and I lock everything down for the night. I am still leaving food for them in the coop at night but I'm thinking of stopping this to prevent pests.

What does a typical day look like for you???

Okay so here’s my ‘ first thing in the morning routine’ husband gets up and makes me a cup of tea, I lie in bed and he braves wind, rain, fog, snow as I drink my tea( it’s strange weather here in the uk!!!)
I watch him on our cctv as he opens the pen then opens the coop, he says good morning by name as each girl leaves the coop then he lets them free range as he crawls back to ged to put his cold feet on me!! How I suffer for these chuckles!

 

[Foxinthehenhouse]

I go out to the coop around 6:30 to say good morning to my twelve hens...and Leroy. The automatic poop door is already open and they are standing at the gate waiting for me. I open the coop windows all the way cause at night I close and lock then down about 2/3 rds. Check their food and water. During the day I might go out to the coop if I have some veg etc. to give them, and collect eggs.
At night the door closes automaticity around dusk. I venture out just after to make sure everyone in on their roosts and close the windows down again.
Once a week I clean poop from under roosts and add pine shavings.

 

[DougB]

Thanks for sharing! What treats do you entice them with? And I love the thought of free ranging throughout the day- do you have any safeguards in place for predators out there or natural protections like trees and such? Right now I supervise mine when they free range but plan to give them a bit more independence as they mature - they are 8.5 weeks old currently.

Morning treats are mix of meal worms and bird seed. During the day they may get some left overs like the corn cobbs from dinner. During the winter I make grits with a can of corn for them to help keep their body temp up.
As far as free ranging - they have access to the back yard, As I live in the Colorado plains there are not a lot of trees around. In four years I haven't lost a girl to any predators. I keep a watch out for hawks, owls and eagles though.

 

[Kaesi2020]

Okay so here’s my ‘ first thing in the morning routine’ husband gets up and makes me a cup of tea, I lie in bed and he braves wind, rain, fog, snow as I drink my tea( it’s strange weather here in the uk!!!)
I watch him on our cctv as he opens the pen then opens the coop, he says good morning by name as each girl leaves the coop then he lets them free range as he crawls back to ged to put his cold feet on me!! How I suffer for these chuckles!

Very cute that he says good morning by name to them! And nice that he can take the morning shift like that. Right now I am doing the wake up and night time routine but I think I need to release some control to my partner! We too have a chicken cam- I love watching them on it when I am not around.

 

[Kaesi2020]

Morning treats are mix of meal worms and bird seed. During the day they may get some left overs like the corn cobbs from dinner. During the winter I make grits with a can of corn for them to help keep their body temp up.
As far as free ranging - they have access to the back yard, As I live in the Colorado plains there are not a lot of trees around. In four years I haven't lost a girl to any predators. I keep a watch out for hawks, owls and eagles though.

I am thinking of growing my own meal worms. I love giving them as treats and the hens go wild for them but having them on hand all the time whenever I need them would be a lot easier than buying them. Thanks for sharing the info on the treats! Your chickens sound very well cared for!

 

[DougB]

My chickens make me happy!

 

[Kaesi2020]

I go out to the coop around 6:30 to say good morning to my twelve hens...and Leroy. The automatic poop door is already open and they are standing at the gate waiting for me. I open the coop windows all the way cause at night I close and lock then down about 2/3 rds. Check their food and water. During the day I might go out to the coop if I have some veg etc. to give them, and collect eggs.
At night the door closes automaticity around dusk. I venture out just after to make sure everyone in on their roosts and close the windows down again.
Once a week I clean poop from under roosts and add pine shavings.

That is a nice routine you have there! Who is Leroy?

 

[Kaesi2020]

I set my automatic chicken door to open from the coop into the run between 7:30 am to 8:30 am depending on the time of year. I keep dry chicken feed in a 5 gallon covered bucket with PVC pipe openings and water in a covered 5 gallon covered bucket with horizontal nipples (also one in the coop) - see photos, so the chickens can eat and drink when they want to. About 9-10 am I bring out a bowl of fermented food and greens and maybe some cut up fruit or veggies. In the warm weather I bring them a large bowl of ice cold water with a cool whip sized container frozen ice cube - I often freeze cut up grapes, peas, veggie peels, or berries in the water. I collect eggs inside the coop when I drop off the food.

The chickens spend most of the day in the run roosting on logs and a roost made from a long board and carpenter horses or dust bathing in a galvanized tub. A couple of times a week I hang a cabbage, cucumber or large dog treat ball stuffed with greens, fresh herbs and vegetable peels in the run. I let the chickens free range in the late afternoon/early evening until dusk. I collect eggs from the coop when I let the chickens out to free range. My back and side yards are surrounded by woods so free ranging is always supervised. There are fox and coyotes that live in the woods. I have raccoons, opossums, weasels, hawks and owls in my location. At dusk the chickens wander back to the run and enter the coop.

I use pine shavings in a deep litter method and no droppings board. The droppings mix into the pine shavings and breakdown. I deep clean my coop in the spring and fall. I have a removable roost, ramp and nesting boxes (see photo - a modified toy box) that are thoroughly cleaned outdoors. I clean, mostly dust, the inside of the coop as needed, 1-2 times a week. I clean the run ~once a week.

My walk-in coop is 7’ by 10’ and 8’ high, it has an attached shed that is the same size where I store feed (galzanized garbage can), pine shavings, ash, DE, PDZ, ladders, and garden tools.

I invested in a library of chicken keeping books and magazines and read numerous blogs before I hired a contractor to build my coop and run. No regrets or modifications required...and yes, my coop and run have electrical outlets which makes chicken keeping so much easier (fan in coop for extreme heat, electric for chicken door, heated disks for water buckets and large heated dog bowl in freezing weather - I do NOT heat my coop...it’s insulated).

Love my organic egg laying girls! Yep, I feed my girls organic feed and treats!

Very impressive set up! I like the waterer and feeder system. You sound very organized! I think your chickens are probably very happy! I have been doing supervised free ranging as well- that is my opportunity to tidy the coop and run. Can you post some pictures of your coop and the materials set up? Like where you store the DE, etc.