Daily routine

[badair]

Being new to this and still planning my coup, can someone tell me their daily routine, from sunup to sundown, for caring and tending to their chickens?

 

[AlienChick]

I get up in the morning (no set time) and let the chickens out.

I go inside the coop to check the feed and water (adding if necessary).

I use a deep litter method, so I do a little raking of the litter.

I open up all the windows in the coop (we have those cheep basement windows that have to be removed).

IF there's any poop on the roost, I'll knock it off.

That's pretty much it. Takes all of 5 minutes.

Then I go outside with the chicks and watch them for a while.

 

[crossgirl]

Up in the a.m. refill water and food in brooder. Handle each chick and check their health.
Change clothes since the brooder holds quarantine chicks. Out to the coop.
Let the chickens out if noone was up ahead of me. Refill food and water as needed.
Dispense treats and love.
Knock crap off poop board.
Water the plants I've started in their paddock.
Spend rest of day checking on chickens randomly and tending the brooder as needed. I just can't keep from
spying on them!!!
Evening when it's cooler, dispense more treats and hang out to watch the chickens til their bedtime.
Make sure everyone is in for the night and secure the door.

Once a week or so I remove the visible waste, add more bedding and scrub the poop board. Brooder
gets whole litter change.

 

[Up-the-Creek]

Daily routine with the chickens,....

I get up at the crack of dawn everyday and go and let everyone out to free range.

I check all the waterers,..if they are low,..I clean and refill.

In the afternoon I collect all eggs,..(my girls are early layers)

Late in the evening I check all waterers again,..clean and refill if needed,...and then check all feeders in the houses,..if need refilled I take care of that.

At dusk or after dark,..I go lock up all chickens in their coops.

Weekends,...I clean coops as needed,..which isn't much due to them being out and about everyday.

Next morning,...start all over again.

ETA,...I am tending about 60 ,...adults and chicks.

 

[teach1rusl]

Chicks being brooded is a bit different, but with more mature birds:
Go out around 7 to let the girls out (I have an auto. pop door, but I let them out to freerange) and toss a bit of scratch for them to peck at. Scrape the dropping board - about a minute.
In the afternoon, I collect eggs, sit with the girls.
Around 9:30 I go out to do a headcount and close the run door.
I use multiple feeders/waterers, so I only fill/refresh them every few days.
I dust/clean the dropping board about once per month - do a bedding cleanout 2x a year.
I spend a lot more time sitting with/petting my chickens than I do maintaining them...

 

[hansolo]

Can people list how many birds you are tending?

The problem since we had chicks is that we can never go somewhere, have to be home daily to let them out in the morning and close the door in the evening. Any success story of automatic door openers?

Here is mine (we only have 3)

- open coop door, scrape poop off (we have open wires under roost, droppings fall into a collector bin under the coop)
- clean refill waterers, feeders
- watch everybody, distribute treats (yogurt mixed feed or cottage cheese, sprouted greens)
- shower
- back to collect egg if any, off to work
- home, check feed
- feed (yogurt or garlic mixed feed)
- walk all over yard pick up droppings
- treats (fruits, veggies)
- sometimes they nap on me
- human activity
- take extra food inside, close coop door

 

[teach1rusl]

Quote:
I love our auto door. But since I mostly allow mine to freerange, I still go out and let them out of the run early almost every day. However, on the days I don't get out there early, I don't feel too guilty, since they still have the run. It's great in the evenings too. If I happen to be out late, I know they're shut inside (I have my timer set to close about 20 minutes after it starts getting dark). I still go do a head count each evening, even if I'm home late. It gives me peace of mind though.
I don't trust it enough (power outtages, etc.) to NOT have someone stop by daily if I'm away for a weekend or on vacation though. I still want a human being to check that everything is okay.

 

[YYZ]

Welcome Badair

You have a good routine.

Welcome from Maine

 

[tclegg]

I was thinking of an auto door-ut what I was concerned about was if you a had a chicken that lagged behind--and the door closed with them still outside...they would have no place to go..they would still be out until a human came to check and found them "stuck" outside in the dark? should'nt that be a concern? or am I just making a problem out of nothing?