Some mornings, especially in the summer when the kids don't go to school, it might be after 7 or 8 when I let them out. Do they HAVE to be out super early?
Mine get let out when I get to it or they start getting noisy. Usually around 7-8am. Sometimes in the summer it's at dawn (5am), so they don't wake the neighbors. Sometimes in the winter it's 2 hours before dawn, when I leave for work.
You don't HAVE to let them out at the crack of dawn. They'll be fine later in the morning. I let mine out anytime between 5:30AM and 8AM, depending on what I've got going on and how distracted I get before I get to them.
Sometimes if I am not going to be around the house that day I don't let mine out at all, but I have a big coop that I can open the sides up for lots of fresh air and they free range - so no run. I let them out whenever I feel I will be home the rest of the day and can see them shut up tight in the coop at dark. Most days I am at home ( I'm a SAHM ) so they range usually from 9:00 Am til they return to the coop around 7:00 PM - plenty of time outta the coop.
Wow, I think I must be a mean chicken mom. I let mine out when I take the kids to school at 9 am. Now that it's summer, I'll have to remember to open their door...
My DH lets them out when he leaves for work, so around 6 am to 7:30 am, depending upon the day. I am a night owl rather than an early rooster, er, I mean early riser.
so if it were up to me, the poor things would be really loudly protesting being inside!
When they are let out later, they seem to be fine with it...
Right now I am letting them out when I get home at 5a. That will change when my shift changes, so I think I will need to check into an automatic opener.