How do I stay motivated and keep up with the simple stuff?

[MinervaTheHen]

Hey, I’m not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I could do with some advice. I love my flock and I want the best for them, but recently I’ve been feeling a little burned out and I’m worried that my chickens might suffer because of that.
I’ve had anxiety my whole life, but the last few months have been especially difficult for me. I feel like I’m forcing myself to do the basic things. The chickens are ALWAYS fed and watered, but I’m struggling to find motivation for the other stuff. My coop is getting stinky and I feel like I’m not spending time with them anymore. I feel overwhelmed with balancing school, my horses, home, and my flock all at once.
I know a lot of you guys have busy lives and lots of experience, so I was wondering if this has happened to anyone else? How do you guys stay motivated and keep your cool? Is there any specific techniques or routines you use to make sure your chickens are getting top priority?

 

[SandyRiverChick]

You have such a valid concern and feelings. I think we can all admit to feeling this way though you don't read about it often so I applaud you for putting it out there. My feeling on the subject is that this is why I have a tendency to be critical if you don't have a good setup. A bad or sub-par situation set's you up to overwork as well as over-worry. To instead work smart, put everything you know of that makes animal chores easy in place. Implement best practices that you read about on BYC and know them to be true. Literally sometimes I stop and realize that the only reason I even have time for writing on BYC is that I spend a grand total of 10minutes/day doing chores. But it took a long time to get to this place I'm at, I spent YEARS and way too much time building and analyzing. It starts with admitting it when you don't have enough room. The most common problem is putting to many animals in small spaces. It's the root cause of a ton of issues you read about daily. So be "right-sized." And then invest in your own time. You know how time is money, well spend a little to save alot. I have never thought that you need to buy a fancy coop. Be creative if money is an issue. See what other people have done especially a long time ago. We've lost a bit of creativity born out of necessity over the years and it's still really good stuff. For specifics I can tell you that "poop boards" has been the icing on the cake for me. I have an awesome coop that I built myself and when I finally installed poop boards, I no longer had to overwork to keep it clean. I keep chicken feed external to my coop in galvanized garbage cans and I have Feral cats so no rodent issues, ever. I have a HUGE run with woodchips and I let chickens out daily to roam around 5 acres. My chicken life is truly cake. Lastly, you got this. If it brings you joy, don't let that get lost, fix what's not working. You got this, and you have a great community to help out with it!!!

 

[MinervaTheHen]

You have such a valid concern and feelings. I think we can all admit to feeling this way though you don't read about it often so I applaud you for putting it out there. My feeling on the subject is that this is why I have a tendency to be critical if you don't have a good setup. A bad or sub-par situation set's you up to overwork as well as over-worry. To instead work smart, put everything you know of that makes animal chores easy in place. Implement best practices that you read about on BYC and know them to be true. Literally sometimes I stop and realize that the only reason I even have time for writing on BYC is that I spend a grand total of 10minutes/day doing chores. But it took a long time to get to this place I'm at, I spent YEARS and way too much time building and analyzing. It starts with admitting it when you don't have enough room. The most common problem is putting to many animals in small spaces. It's the root cause of a ton of issues you read about daily. So be "right-sized." And then invest in your own time. You know how time is money, well spend a little to save alot. I have never thought that you need to buy a fancy coop. Be creative if money is an issue. See what other people have done especially a long time ago. We've lost a bit of creativity born out of necessity over the years and it's still really good stuff. For specifics I can tell you that "poop boards" has been the icing on the cake for me. I have an awesome coop that I built myself and when I finally installed poop boards, I no longer had to overwork to keep it clean. I keep chicken feed external to my coop in galvanized garbage cans and I have Feral cats so no rodent issues, ever. I have a HUGE run with woodchips and I let chickens out daily to roam around 5 acres. My chicken life is truly cake. Lastly, you got this. If it brings you joy, don't let that get lost, fix what's not working. You got this, and you have a great community to help out with it!!!

Thank you so much for the thoughtful response. You brought up so many good points. I’ll definitely try out the poop boards, that sounds like it could really help me out. Also, thank you for the kind words. Sometimes I forget why I love the chickens, and this community seems like a great way to keep reminding me of that.

 

[AnnPann]

Hey, I’m not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I could do with some advice. I love my flock and I want the best for them, but recently I’ve been feeling a little burned out and I’m worried that my chickens might suffer because of that.
I’ve had anxiety my whole life, but the last few months have been especially difficult for me. I feel like I’m forcing myself to do the basic things. The chickens are ALWAYS fed and watered, but I’m struggling to find motivation for the other stuff. My coop is getting stinky and I feel like I’m not spending time with them anymore. I feel overwhelmed with balancing school, my horses, home, and my flock all at once.
I know a lot of you guys have busy lives and lots of experience, so I was wondering if this has happened to anyone else? How do you guys stay motivated and keep your cool? Is there any specific techniques or routines you use to make sure your chickens are getting top priority?

I can very much relate and am in a similar spot. The days fly by and I feel like I managed to get hardly anything done, and I'm drowning in stupid stuff that I should be able to complete easily. I don't know that it's really a great solution, but what sometimes helps me a bit, is when I'm feeling particularly overwhelmed, I try to make a to-do list for just today and it can't have anything more than 3 things on it. If a task like cleaning out the whole coop is more than I can face, instead of "clean coop", my to-do item is "clean as much as I can in 10 mins".

Also, if your chickens are fed and watered and have a sanitary, safe place to be, you're doing a great job. They are not like children or even dogs in terms of their need for your attention and affection. I often have to remind myself that they are barn animals and do a really good job of taking care of themselves - they don't need me to go out there and talk at them and fuss over their space. If you can't just "spend time" with them this week, that's OK.

If you don't already have an auto-door, I cannot recommend it enough. I used one last fall through early summer and then couldn't use it b/c I changed my setup during the summer due to adding some chicks. I was so happy to get it back into service this fall because it gets rid of that trek out to the coop in the morning and evening. I can then go out there on my own schedule to feed/water and check on them. It's such a small thing that makes such a huge difference. (I have the Omlet brand one and love it. Expensive, but you can get a 10% coupon from them if you create an account, add one to your cart, wait a few days, and then they'll email you with a coupon code to complete your purchase )

It sounds like you have a lot of competing priorities (can also relate). They can't all be top priority. And each day, different things might be #1, and that's OK. Don't feel like your chickens need to be top priority every day. Food/water/safety for them, but then it's OK move on to whatever else it is you need to focus on today (including taking a day off and relaxing!)

 

[ChickyCh00k]

Sending good juju to you! I too struggle with generalized anxiety disorder, and I'm also a grad student with two special needs kids and a flock of chickens , so I understand the feeling of being overwhelmed!

I stay motivated by telling myself that the chickens' health depends on my management of them. If I don't keep their living quarters clean, they will suffer and I can't have that on my conscience, as I chose to have chickens and they rely on me to keep them healthy. I try to make things easy for myself (poop board - clean once per day - only takes a couple min, automatic feeders and waterers that I only need to clean and fill once in a while). I also make a daily schedule for myself and stick to it as best I can.

I get up, let the chickens out of the coop and into the run, then I go do homework for a couple hours (taking my kids to the bus/school in between).

After my kids are of to school, I spend about 15 min with the chickens - Making sure everyone is acting OK, eating/drinking, etc.

Then, I go in and do more school work for another hour (depending on what needs to get done still).

I take a late morning break after that - eat breakfast, relax, do other housework, or errands (depending on the day).

Then I schedule the rest of my day around picking kids up from bus/school, their extracurriculars, dinner, etc., and making sure the chickens are in the coop at the appropriate time.

Your day probably looks very different from mine, but It really does help to have a routine and to stick to it as best you can. Figure out what you need to accomplish for the day, or week, or even for the next couple of hours, and make a plan (lists can be helpful!). Things come up, and sometimes we have to adjust, but if I know what the week ahead has in store, I can plan my school work, chicken chores and hang outs, and other tasks accordingly.

Hoping for the best for you! You CAN do this!

 

[MinervaTheHen]

I can very much relate and am in a similar spot. The days fly by and I feel like I managed to get hardly anything done, and I'm drowning in stupid stuff that I should be able to complete easily. I don't know that it's really a great solution, but what sometimes helps me a bit, is when I'm feeling particularly overwhelmed, I try to make a to-do list for just today and it can't have anything more than 3 things on it. If a task like cleaning out the whole coop is more than I can face, instead of "clean coop", my to-do item is "clean as much as I can in 10 mins".

Also, if your chickens are fed and watered and have a sanitary, safe place to be, you're doing a great job. They are not like children or even dogs in terms of their need for your attention and affection. I often have to remind myself that they are barn animals and do a really good job of taking care of themselves - they don't need me to go out there and talk at them and fuss over their space. If you can't just "spend time" with them this week, that's OK.

If you don't already have an auto-door, I cannot recommend it enough. I used one last fall through early summer and then couldn't use it b/c I changed my setup during the summer due to adding some chicks. I was so happy to get it back into service this fall because it gets rid of that trek out to the coop in the morning and evening. I can then go out there on my own schedule to feed/water and check on them. It's such a small thing that makes such a huge difference. (I have the Omlet brand one and love it. Expensive, but you can get a 10% coupon from them if you create an account, add one to your cart, wait a few days, and then they'll email you with a coupon code to complete your purchase )

It sounds like you have a lot of competing priorities (can also relate). They can't all be top priority. And each day, different things might be #1, and that's OK. Don't feel like your chickens need to be top priority every day. Food/water/safety for them, but then it's OK move on to whatever else it is you need to focus on today (including taking a day off and relaxing!)

This reply made me smile so much. Thank you for the kind words. I really needed to hear that. I’ll check out Omlet when I get a minute. Also, making a list sounds like a great simple thing to keep my mind on task.
I really appreciate you taking the time to give me advice. Also, I hope you can figure it all out too. I wish you the best

 

[MinervaTheHen]

Sending good juju to you! I too struggle with generalized anxiety disorder, and I'm also a grad student with two special needs kids and a flock of chickens , so I understand the feeling of being overwhelmed!

I stay motivated by telling myself that the chickens' health depends on my management of them. If I don't keep their living quarters clean, they will suffer and I can't have that on my conscience, as I chose to have chickens and they rely on me to keep them healthy. I try to make things easy for myself (poop board - clean once per day - only takes a couple min, automatic feeders and waterers that I only need to clean and fill once in a while). I also make a daily schedule for myself and stick to it as best I can.

I get up, let the chickens out of the coop and into the run, then I go do homework for a couple hours (taking my kids to the bus/school in between).

After my kids are of to school, I spend about 15 min with the chickens - Making sure everyone is acting OK, eating/drinking, etc.

Then, I go in and do more school work for another hour (depending on what needs to get done still).

I take a late morning break after that - eat breakfast, relax, do other housework, or errands (depending on the day).

Then I schedule the rest of my day around picking kids up from bus/school, their extracurriculars, dinner, etc., and making sure the chickens are in the coop at the appropriate time.

Your day probably looks very different from mine, but It really does help to have a routine and to stick to it as best you can. Figure out what you need to accomplish for the day, or week, or even for the next couple of hours, and make a plan (lists can be helpful!). Things come up, and sometimes we have to adjust, but if I know what the week ahead has in store, I can plan my school work, chicken chores and hang outs, and other tasks accordingly.

Hoping for the best for you! You CAN do this!

Wow, it sounds like you’ve made the best of a very very potentially stressful situation. Also, thank you so much for the advice. You’re the second person to mention poop boards, so those are going on my list of things to check out. I love the way you set up your day. I think I’ll try a schedule for the next few days at least and see if I can keep it up. I’m sure everyone says this, but this community is awesome, and you guys are the nicest people. Thank you for the kind words

 

[ChickyCh00k]

You’re the second person to mention poop boards, so those are going on my list of things to check out.

This is a wonderfully supportive and helpful community of people! It's the only social media I can tolerate, lol!

If you post a pic of your coop setup, I'm sure we can assist with how to put poop boards in. I use coffee ground litter from Rural King mixed with PDZ on mine. Some people do sand and others do only PDZ - then you just scoop it like kitty litter - super quick and easy, and no more stank!!

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

This reply made me smile so much. Thank you for the kind words. I really needed to hear that. I’ll check out Omlet when I get a minute. Also, making a list sounds like a great simple thing to keep my mind on task.
I really appreciate you taking the time to give me advice. Also, I hope you can figure it all out too. I wish you the best

I was reading some older threads and came across this one. Just want to say hi, and tell you that you are in the majority regarding your feelings. I find it helpful to focus on the present and ignore the past and ignore thoughts of how others perceive me. Ones past experience can dictate present feelings if that is where the mind tends to dwell because that is familiar territory.
It sounds simple, but try to consciously choose to not feel anxiety when it comes. Live in the moment and forget the rest.

 

[Birdsong 82]

Hey, I’m not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I could do with some advice. I love my flock and I want the best for them, but recently I’ve been feeling a little burned out and I’m worried that my chickens might suffer because of that.
I’ve had anxiety my whole life, but the last few months have been especially difficult for me. I feel like I’m forcing myself to do the basic things. The chickens are ALWAYS fed and watered, but I’m struggling to find motivation for the other stuff. My coop is getting stinky and I feel like I’m not spending time with them anymore. I feel overwhelmed with balancing school, my horses, home, and my flock all at once.
I know a lot of you guys have busy lives and lots of experience, so I was wondering if this has happened to anyone else? How do you guys stay motivated and keep your cool? Is there any specific techniques or routines you use to make sure your chickens are getting top priority?

I didn’t have a chance to read all the replies to your original post but I understand. There’s too many people I’ve talk to you lately who are feeling the same thing. And I am too struggling to keep with it myself . Because my goats and chickens were always my entire life outside of work obviously but I wish I had a direct answer but I figured I could at least let you know you’re not the only one feeling it. You are not alone.