Daily routine with your flock

[Kaesi2020]

My typical day and routine with my chickens starts around 7 AM when I go outside and I let them out of their enclosed run into the bigger chain-link area that they spend the day.I then give them fresh food and water and roll up the newspapers underneath their roost and then I pick up any kind of poops I see. I give them their morning treat of a few meal worms. I feed my dogs and then I go inside and make myself some coffee and relax for about an hour and plan my day. I take my dogs down to the beach every morning and then when I come back I go into the run and pick up poo again. I quiet them down if they are fighting over the nesting boxes And then one of my chickens likes to come inside to lay her eggs, so if she is throwing a big hysterical fit, I bring her inside and I put her in a cardboard box and then she makes really quiet happy sounds, she usually sits inside the box for around three hours while I am gone . I come back home after the beach and I usually hack down some plants that are overgrown so they can pick through them and then I pick up poo again and collect eggs. I work from home and then I usually work for a few hours and then I pick up poo again. I let them out about 2-3 hours before the sun goes down to free range and I set up their area for bedtime. I make sure that their food and water is filled and inside the enclosed run area and they usually go to bed and get on the roost inside their coop when the sun goes down and I go in and just make sure they are OK and all up on the roost at dark. I spend a lot of time checking up on my chickens, LOL!

That's great! I love how your one hen goes inside to lay her eggs in the box, sounds like she enjoys that!

 

[ClucksAndCombs]

Depending on the season, I let the hens out of their coop in the early morning- around 5:30 rn. They are given their daily yogurt and pellet mash cause they are spoiled birds. Refill waters, quick check that all of them are healthy. At 2pm, I free range them as most are done with egg laying and the hawk count is generally lower. It’s a good sign of healthiness if all of them bolt out of the door and run up the main hill. They hang out in different areas depending on season and wetness, but during the summer they like their greens and behind the shed as it has prime dust bathing dirt. They also enjoy running up and down the porch stairs because they know where the sunflower seeds and other goodies are stored. Usually this is an older hen hangout as most the younger hens haven’t yet discovered the joy of waiting at the door until treats arrive ._. Even the ten year old climbs the stairs and sits on my lap as I do work (as she is doing now and currently taking a nap and preen )
After two or more hours, I call them in by a special call and they all know it means it’s their special corn mix. I sprinkle a handful or two around- usually less in the summer. I collect the eggs if I haven’t already. In a couple hours, I lock them in for the night, closing everything carefully since a fisher got in eleven years ago. Nothing since, luckily. I sometimes have to move them around just because space or if they sleep in the nesting boxes, but I generally let them sleep wherever.

 

[Kaesi2020]

Depending on the season, I let the hens out of their coop in the early morning- around 5:30 rn. They are given their daily yogurt and pellet mash cause they are spoiled birds. Refill waters, quick check that all of them are healthy. At 2pm, I free range them as most are done with egg laying and the hawk count is generally lower. It’s a good sign of healthiness if all of them bolt out of the door and run up the main hill. They hang out in different areas depending on season and wetness, but during the summer they like their greens and behind the shed as it has prime dust bathing dirt. They also enjoy running up and down the porch stairs because they know where the sunflower seeds and other goodies are stored. Usually this is an older hen hangout as most the younger hens haven’t yet discovered the joy of waiting at the door until treats arrive ._. Even the ten year old climbs the stairs and sits on my lap as I do work (as she is doing now and currently taking a nap and preen )
After two or more hours, I call them in by a special call and they all know it means it’s their special corn mix. I sprinkle a handful or two around- usually less in the summer. I collect the eggs if I haven’t already. In a couple hours, I lock them in for the night, closing everything carefully since a fisher got in eleven years ago. Nothing since, luckily. I sometimes have to move them around just because space or if they sleep in the nesting boxes, but I generally let them sleep wherever.

Aww, have you had your ten year old hen for the whole ten years? What a bond you two must have forged. I free range in the late afternoon to evening time as well. Cross fingers, mine still stay within my yard although my one EE who is alpha is beginning to take the flock of six on longer adventures lately!

 

[SurferchickinSB]

That's great! I love how your one hen goes inside to lay her eggs in the box, sounds like she enjoys that!

Yes, normally I don’t mind bringing her in the house every day since it quiets her down, she screams until I bring her inside. I am planning on having foot surgery though in about a month and I just don’t know how I am going to carry her in the house if I can’t walk! I just think this is a bad habit I got her into because she will scream and scream till she gets her way!

 

[Kaesi2020]

Yes, normally I don’t mind bringing her in the house every day since it quiets her down, she screams until I bring her inside. I am planning on having foot surgery though in about a month and I just don’t know how I am going to carry her in the house if I can’t walk! I just think this is a bad habit I got her into because she will scream and scream till she gets her way!

I hope your surgery goes well. I'm sure she will adjust as needed to the change. I think it's nice that you bring her in for a bit. I have one red sex link pullet that enjoys hanging out on our deck. She is low pullet on the totem pole so I think she appreciates the space from the mean girls. I pet her when she comes up and give her some extra attention.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

I hope your surgery goes well. I'm sure she will adjust as needed to the change. I think it's nice that you bring her in for a bit. I have one red sex link pullet that enjoys hanging out on our deck. She is low pullet on the totem pole so I think she appreciates the space from the mean girls. I pet her when she comes up and give her some extra attention.

Thank you! This girl is not the lowest on the totem pole and the rest of her flock just looks at her like she is just nuts! Personally I think she is nuts too! She screams and just is so anxious until I bring her in and then she is so quiet and content that I sometimes forget she is there. I am hoping she will adjust, if I can’t bring her in, otherwise the neighbors are going to get annoyed, I think.

 

[RumneyRoost]

Hi! I have a feeling my routine will look similar to yours once work starts back up for me. Wake up, put chickens in the run, go to work, come back and let them out. Do you use the light in the coop to help with egg production?

I don’t think the light makes much of a difference. It’s only an extra 1-2hrs of light per day, which means a total of 10-11 hrs in the dead of winter.
It just gives me peace of mind when I head to work if I’ve seen that all the girls are up and about.

My husband is an electrician so he ran power to the coop so that I could have a heated waterer and a light on a timer.