In the morning: feeding time. ???

[Kris5902]

6/7 am- I have feed and water for my layers as soon as I let them out in the morning, so they can have a drink and fill their crops. They are quite active foragers. All my birds are on pasture in chicken tractors and get moved mostly in the late morning.

I’ve got 5 week old freedom ranger birds I’m running that I had to do things differently with though. If I put feed down right away they will sit and eat all day. So I move them right away onto fresh grass, refill their waterer and scatter 1c feed per 10 birds into the grass to get them foraging a bit. They love the grass and bugs, but love their pellets even more... so their feed goes down when I move the others around 9/10am

I think it depends on your birds, their housing and what you find works best for you.

 

[PirateGirl]

I guess I'm not really sure what you are concerned about as long as your birds have food and water available every day, preferably starting some time in the morning, they will be just fine.

My birds get up with the sun, in the summer that's before I get out of bed, in the winter it's after I leave for work. I put the food and fresh water out at a time that is convenient for me, which is usually between 7 & 8 a.m. In summer that means they may be up for almost 2 hours before feeding time, in winter it means there may be food available before they come down from roosting. Either way is fine. They still have ample food and water for essentially the entire day. A chicken, like most animals, can go an hour without breakfast. My dogs and family typically wait an hour for breakfast too!

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Thanks everyone for the good info!

???

@Perkin747, I had mentioned to other people and I left you out. I did not take the time to click "edit" either.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If your birds are used to the schedule and they're not having issues, might as well keep doing it as you've been doing it.

Mine get let out at 7:55 AM (timed auto door). I usually wake up around 8-8:30. Dogs go first, so the chickens get the breakfast (fermented feed) around 8:30-9 AM. While they're busy stuffing their faces and staying out of my way I'm spot cleaning the run, cleaning the coop, bringing out their dry feed, etc. Works well for me, and no chickens in the way while I'm doing stuff.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

If your birds are used to the schedule and they're not having issues, might as well keep doing it as you've been doing it.

Mine get let out at 7:55 AM (timed auto door). I usually wake up around 8-8:30. Dogs go first, so the chickens get the breakfast (fermented feed) around 8:30-9 AM. While they're busy stuffing their faces and staying out of my way I'm spot cleaning the run, cleaning the coop, bringing out their dry feed, etc. Works well for me, and no chickens in the way while I'm doing stuff.

Thanks!

 

[Chelsa'sChicks]

My birds free range so when I get up they are often already gone. When they see me they come running (even if I am in the truck).. I do not leave any out at night due to I try to not get extra attention from nocturnal predators.

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

Hi. I plan to have food and water inside my coop 24/7. I heard not to leave food outside as it attracts rodants.

 

[Acre4Me]

We put out food every morning, then let them out. Food stays in the run, and we use 2 containers of feed so no one is kept from eating (pecking order). We collect the food and bring it inside when we lock them in for the night. Usually the feeder is empty or nearly empty at the end of the day.

Water is in 2 containers outside, in the shade.

Over the winter, the heated dog bowl was in the coop, and water was not in the run. The food was still outside. However, during the polar vortex, we did feed them in the coop bc we wanted them to have every opportunity to eat and stay warm (it got to -18F air temp and -36F wind chill).

 

[PTA Chicks]

Mine don't have a closed coop so once off their roost they run around. Watwr is always full and available. If it's a work day then we feed them at about 7am. If it's not a work day then I let them out the run to free range and feed them at about 9am. Free range days they seldom eat all the food I put out but I leave it there till the next morning.

 

[RumneyRoost]

I bring their food into the garage every night to discourage raccoons, bears, etc. At 5:30 - 6am I take it out and put it in the run. When it's light enough they get to free range until 7am when I leave for work. I can see from the house that they go back and forth from pasture to pellets at least a couple times during that hour before they get locked in the run again.
In the winter I have a light on a timer that is on from 6-8am, otherwise I wouldn't get to see them during the week. They're in bed by the time I get home from work from Dec-Feb.

My girls can get loud if I don't let them out or feed them early enough.