Does it ever feel like work?

I am still in my first year(Feb will be one year). I go out several times a day to check for eggs and to get up away form the computer or from in front of the TV,or both. Every two to three days I add a pail of wood ash from our wood stove to my coop along with the pine shaving that are in there. They take there dirt baths in it all. I only clean out my coop every 3 to 6 months depending on what it is looking like.
To me it is something to do since I am a stay at home person. I enjoy taking care of the chickens. I only have 18 at this time and three of them are roosters. One is all by himself. I In Feb I will start adding to my flock.
 
Taking care of my animals is my therapy so it doesn't feel like work at all. With that said I have a full time job outside the home too and I enjoy what I do so my REAL job doesn't feel like work either.

Now cleaning the house, doing laundry feels like work.
 
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I am not a fan of house work either. lol
 
Sometimes. I love my chickens, and they are my pets, not animals. But yes, it is work for me sometimes. Every night I have to catch each of the three younger chickens and carry them to the coop (long story, no, they do not have acess to the coop by themselves, although they do have a cat-litter box in their pen to shelter in, it's just not predator proof. Only the older two hens have acess to the coop). I sometimes stress about getting out there in time if we're out somewhere. Every morning I have to go out, unlock the coop, carry the three younger pullets to their pen. I'm totally used to that now, and it doesn't seem like work anymore. Sometimes it seems like work if it rained in the night. Then I have to dump the water out of the tarp that covers their pen, change their food, change the water, rake up wet straw, change the straw out of their catlitter box...you know. But I don't mind. It's worth it.
 
I love going out to take care of my girls. It doesnt matter if I am cleaning the coop or breaking up the frozen ground so they have more dirt to play in, I love every single minute I spend with the girls. No matter how tired or sick I always have to be the one to put them to bed, it just makes me feel good knowing they are tucked away safely. My BF does help with them in the morning when Im at work but other than that I like to do everything else.
 
It has never really felt like work - I work at my desk and can look out and see my girls and smile, giggle or laugh out loud at their antics. I always enjoy going out in the morning to let them out of the coop and visit with them. Enjoy it even more in the evening because they want to sit on my lap to be petted before going to bed. Don't even mind cleaning out the coop, pen, waterers or feeders. If I lived in the part of the country where it got really cold it would definitely be a different thing but it was 84 degrees on Christmas Day here.
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Tambo..........you got it going on. I love the way you said. I'm not a romatic buts that's the same here. I see so much more now looking out for the chickens. And the eggs are a plus. Now the coop, that was very hot, steamy, yellow jacket stinging, stump pulling, expensive work. And the chickens don't know the difference.
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But no way would I change things.
 
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nakstk, I think you got your point across very nicely, as well as started an interesting conversation getting us thinking about what is work, and what is play, and how nice it is when the two meet (which is how taking care of chickens seems to be for a lot of folks).

Besides, having work to do, pleasant or otherwise, sure makes the end of the day when you get to sit down and crack that first beer (or whatever your thing is), all the more enjoyable!
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