Keeping Chickens When You Have Arthritis.

[Morrigan]

Has anyone had luck using the big plastic cans and keeping mice from chewing through.

I've had good luck with keeping feed in big, plastic stacking bins that seal by flipping up little tabs, like this:

I've been using them a few years now and no mice or rats have chewed through. The black tabs are easier to open or close than the typical rubber or snap top. They come in different sizes.

 

[microchick]

I've had good luck with keeping feed in big, plastic stacking bins that seal by flipping up little tabs, like this:

View attachment 1506363
I've been using them a few years now and no mice or rats have chewed through. The black tabs are easier to open or close than the typical rubber or snap top. They come in different sizes.

I hadn't thought of those. I imagine the larger ones will hold about 50 pounds of food if not more.

 

[True Patriot]

If you can find them. The square food grade buckets hold about 25 pounds each and stack much better than the round. I have several that get used around the workshop nowadays so no more food in them. An example of the type:
https://www.containerandpackaging.com/products/136/plastic-square-pails/P104W
eBay or Amazon may have better prices

 

[cmom]

I feel the pain too. I do have a lawn tractor that I use a lot with a trailer I tow behind it. I have a lot of birds too. I empty the feed into buckets as the buckets are easier to handle and each coop has a 40# hanging feeder. I usually go through around 300#'s of feed every week. All of the coops have auto waterers. I did have 5 gal. waterers in all of the pens and have water and a hose at each coop. Now I squirt the sand out of the waterers and have extra bowls so I can take one off to clean it out, and put one on that I've cleaned and on and on. I even have auto waterers at the chick coop. I have no strength in my hands anymore and my knuckles are arthritic. My avatar is some of my coops. I'm maxed out. Now it's time to downsize.

 

[nikkers390]

I'm 72 years young and in a wheelchair. Luckily I can walk a few steps without too much pain.
My coop and pens are about 75 yards from my hfouse.
I use a golf cart to haul food and other supplies.
The food is kept in metal trash cans on my back porch.
I use kitty litter buckets and fill as many as I need as heavy as I can carry them. I bring them to the lift in my chair and transfer the buckets to the golf cart.
My husband ran water close to the coop and I have a hose going to each of the 3 pens so I don't have to drag the hose around.
I do not my bring the cart into the pens. One, it will not fit, two, it's death on chickens.
I keep an old wheelchair in each pen so I can move the buckets to the feeders and rest when I need to. I collect the eggs and bring them to the golf cart. You would be surprised how moving things around in a wheelchair makes hard jobs easier.
It takes a while to feed and water the 2 pens of roughly 70 chickens and chicks and a pen for 6 geese.
At times I get some help but mostly, I do it myself. Hubby hates the chickens so no help there.
I try to plan my duties so I get as much done with the least amount of effort.
Frankly, I enjoy my time with the chickens. It is hard work but I will keep doing this as long as I can.
chickens rule!!!

 

[pennyJo1960]

I use the heavy duty garbage cans home depot style with snap lids they are round no mice here 3 outside cats and three dogs that will eat mice also the chickens will, my 5 gallon buckets are for water they have lids stay clean about twice a year they get cleaned out put back in but do not have dirt or slime in them

 

[pennyJo1960]

@nikkers390 I bow to the mistress, wow you are the neato can I say that I am mostly blind the guys know not to put things in my path.. they haul the food in and empty it

 

[nikkers390]

I use the heavy duty garbage cans home depot style with snap lids they are round no mice here 3 outside cats and three dogs that will eat mice also the chickens will, my 5 gallon buckets are for water they have lids stay clean about twice a year they get cleaned out put back in but do not have dirt or slime in them

I use 30 gal galvanized cans with tight lids.
Rats are my nemesis. Luckily they are the grey wood rats, not Norway rats. Nevertheless, they eat their way through everything not metal.
I have four large dogs which will kill rats in a heartbeat, if they can catch them. I would love to keep cats. Unfortunately my dogs would make short work of them.,

 

[ronott1]

I'm 72 years young and in a wheelchair. Luckily I can walk a few steps without too much pain.
My coop and pens are about 75 yards from my hfouse.
I use a golf cart to haul food and other supplies.
The food is kept in metal trash cans on my back porch.
I use kitty litter buckets and fill as many as I need as heavy as I can carry them. I bring them to the lift in my chair and transfer the buckets to the golf cart.
My husband ran water close to the coop and I have a hose going to each of the 3 pens so I don't have to drag the hose around.
I do not my bring the cart into the pens. One, it will not fit, two, it's death on chickens.
I keep an old wheelchair in each pen so I can move the buckets to the feeders and rest when I need to. I collect the eggs and bring them to the golf cart. You would be surprised how moving things around in a wheelchair makes hard jobs easier.
It takes a while to feed and water the 2 pens of roughly 70 chickens and chicks and a pen for 6 geese.
At times I get some help but mostly, I do it myself. Hubby hates the chickens so no help there.
I try to plan my duties so I get as much done with the least amount of effort.
Frankly, I enjoy my time with the chickens. It is hard work but I will keep doing this as long as I can.
chickens rule!!!

That is very impressive!

 

[Morrigan]

I hadn't thought of those. I imagine the larger ones will hold about 50 pounds of food if not more.

The one I have, holds a 50 lb. bag of food, just about exactly. It was the second to largest size at my local hardware store, and it's going on 4 years old not and still in good shape.