Our AM and PM maintenance routine - Do you enjoy it as much as we do and is yours similar?

[matchmeadeinheaven]

Step 1; Change your shoes I do not like to wear the same shoes I’m going to wear in the house. You got to get your chicken poo shoes on first. My wife thought I was Mr. Rogers when I went over this step in the YouTube video. Her poo shoes are her bare feet but I like it when she wears her crocks. We do not know yet if that chicken poo is good for your skin.

Step 2; Is getting some water and taking it down with us to the coop and run. We do not have to worry about the feed, because its waiting on us in the storage area of the she shed chicken coop. During the hot summer months our 14 hens will go through about a gallon of water a day. We use a 5 gallon bucket with chicken nipples on the bottom and all we have to do is pour the 1 gallon into the 5 gallon bucket. We have learned to use a dark water bucket to cut down on sun getting through and causing algae to grow in it.

Step 3; Give them some good food and let them be chickens. They enjoy doing what God made them to do and that is scratch for food off the ground. So, what we like to do is throw some scratch grains down on the ground for them. We buy our scratch and layer pellets from Tractor Supply Company primarily here in Middle TN. They offer high quality stuff and we enjoy shopping and giving them our business. Currently we use a little bucket screwed to the run, and a chicken feeder which we have hanging beside the water. I also will sprinkle in some grit to help them with digesting.

We have our food and water in their run. One thing that is important is we use a carabiner on the run door. You may have heard that cats can learn how to open doors in the house. Well raccoons can learn how to open chicken run doors and the carabiner stops that. When we go in, they want out because we let them free range in the PM. So what I like to do is put the scratch down low when I come in and they start pecking it and forget about trying to get out In the video you can see this better and watch as soon as I throw some scratch grains down they are happy and forget about getting out. That is how we do it and thought we would share if anyone else wanted to share their daily routine. For those beginners thinking about raising backyard chickens this is what you are missing out on.

 

[darkbaysfordays]

Sounds pretty close to mine! I have a pair of boots that are only "chicken and around the yard boots" that I wear. I have two waterers that I scrub and fill every few days. I try to fill the feeder at night and throw out some scratch so that in the morning I can just go down, open the pop door, and release the beasts. I also use a chain and carabiner on my run too!

 

[CatsandCrops]

Pretty much the same - I have a pair of rain boots I wear as my chicken/garden shoes.

In the morning, we let them out between 6a-7a. They have access to water/food inside the coop so they usually have their breakfast when we open the pop door. They stay in a larger enclosed run due to all the predators we have. I feed them fermented feed (will be adding fodder in the winter) between 8a-9a and check their outside waterer at that time too (their inside waterer gets refilled every 2-3 weeks along with the PVC feeders - it's a Saturday morning chore along with adding new bedding and cleaning the coop). Depending on the day, around 12p-1p they may get weeds from the garden or veggie scrapes from the kitchen along with ice in their "wading pool" if it's hot out. I also collect any eggs at that time too.

In the evening we check on them again maybe like 5-6p to get any other eggs and just do a wellness check in general. We use to close them up around 930p but with days getting shorter, it's about 830p now.

 

[matchmeadeinheaven]

Sounds pretty close to mine! I have a pair of boots that are only "chicken and around the yard boots" that I wear. I have two waterers that I scrub and fill every few days. I try to fill the feeder at night and throw out some scratch so that in the morning I can just go down, open the pop door, and release the beasts. I also use a chain and carabiner on my run too!

Great thought on the "night before", we will have to try that. Thanks for sharing.

 

[matchmeadeinheaven]

Pretty much the same - I have a pair of rain boots I wear as my chicken/garden shoes.

In the morning, we let them out between 6a-7a. They have access to water/food inside the coop so they usually have their breakfast when we open the pop door. They stay in a larger enclosed run due to all the predators we have. I feed them fermented feed (will be adding fodder in the winter) between 8a-9a and check their outside waterer at that time too (their inside waterer gets refilled every 2-3 weeks along with the PVC feeders - it's a Saturday morning chore along with adding new bedding and cleaning the coop). Depending on the day, around 12p-1p they may get weeds from the garden or veggie scrapes from the kitchen along with ice in their "wading pool" if it's hot out. I also collect any eggs at that time too.

In the evening we check on them again maybe like 5-6p to get any other eggs and just do a wellness check in general. We use to close them up around 930p but with days getting shorter, it's about 830p now.

Thanks for sharing. Can you share more on your "fermented feed"? I have been wanting to do my own feed and it sounds like you may be doing this.

 

[CatsandCrops]

Thanks for sharing. Can you share more on your "fermented feed"? I have been wanting to do my own feed and it sounds like you may be doing this.

We don't make/mix our own feed. We use a commercial feed. Right now I am fermenting barley (given to us by a farmer friend) and some of their commercial feed. Essentially, cover the amount of feed with 2 inches of water, add a dash of apple cider vinegar, loosely cover and let sit for 2-3 days then give it to the tiny monsters.

 

[Tre3hugger]

Each morning I wake up between 530&7. I start at my layer coop because the rooster is a crowing in there. I go into the run, lower the hanging feeder attached to the coop overhang(raised at night against rodents) and fill the feeder and check the waterer. Then I open the pop door. Typically I will stand and observe for a few minutes because I enjoy starting my day that way. Im usually out there 10 mins within waking up.
After that I move to my heated brooder which currently houses 16 Cornish x chicks. I fill up their feeder trough and give them water from a gallon just for them because it has broiler booster vitamins in it. After petting a chick or two and visually assessing them, I move onto the guinea coop. Here I just say good morning to my cuckoo guinea and quickly glance at their big feeder to check the level. Same for water. Both are typically only low enough to warrant filling once a week. Lastly it is out to my growout tractor where I currently have some young pullets. They have an oversized feed and waterer so I jut make sure they are all good and observe their adorableness. Takes 15-20 mins. Could be quicker but I dawdle around them because I enjoy their company.
Typically I will mosey around a coupke times a day and just observe everyone for fun, subsequently checking on their needs.
At sundown I go out and close the door on the guinea coop and the layer coop, and electrify the fence around my grow out tractor.

 

[matchmeadeinheaven]

Each morning I wake up between 530&7. I start at my layer coop because the rooster is a crowing in there. I go into the run, lower the hanging feeder attached to the coop overhang(raised at night against rodents) and fill the feeder and check the waterer. Then I open the pop door. Typically I will stand and observe for a few minutes because I enjoy starting my day that way. Im usually out there 10 mins within waking up.
After that I move to my heated brooder which currently houses 16 Cornish x chicks. I fill up their feeder trough and give them water from a gallon just for them because it has broiler booster vitamins in it. After petting a chick or two and visually assessing them, I move onto the guinea coop. Here I just say good morning to my cuckoo guinea and quickly glance at their big feeder to check the level. Same for water. Both are typically only low enough to warrant filling once a week. Lastly it is out to my growout tractor where I currently have some young pullets. They have an oversized feed and waterer so I jut make sure they are all good and observe their adorableness. Takes 15-20 mins. Could be quicker but I dawdle around them because I enjoy their company.
Typically I will mosey around a coupke times a day and just observe everyone for fun, subsequently checking on their needs.
At sundown I go out and close the door on the guinea coop and the layer coop, and electrify the fence around my grow out tractor.

I couldn't keep from smiling as I read your routine. I guess that is why us that love our chickens and are strange to others. Thank you for sharing, you definitely have more to share I can tell. We do not have any roosters as of yet, but look forward to introducing them in the future.

 

[Tre3hugger]

I couldn't keep from smiling as I read your routine. I guess that is why us that love our chickens and are strange to others. Thank you for sharing, you definitely have more to share I can tell. We do not have any roosters as of yet, but look forward to introducing them in the future.

LOL what???? Can you tell I like talking about my chickens!? lol Teehee

 

[MrFluffyandGirls]

I typically wait until 9:00 to turn my older chickens out for the day because I want to get done laying and eat some balanced layer feed before they go out and about. My younger birds I check in on and give them and my dog who is kenneled right beside them some little treat. I give everyone fresh water if needed . I gather the eggs and bring them in.
Between 12:00-2 I go and refill water bowls and clean them if needed because it's so hot I make sure everyone is chilling out alright. Me and the dog have a prayer meeting and conversation about how well she's taken care of the newbies, then put in some training time with her.
Then at 6-7pm I mix up the feed for them.I feed the older ones mini layer pellets and regular size pellets because I have little silkies that like the mini and now only one black star that likes the bigger pellets. My younger group which just started laying, I mix 2 cups all flock/1 cup grower/2cups mini layerpellets. I also mix the dogs feed. old dog gets scrapes mixed in, regular adult dog gets can food mixed with hard food and puppy gets puppy kibble along with snacks and training treats here and there. It's really over kill with all the mixing I do but it's my thing. LOL!
I go out and let the young chickens out while I put fresh food out and take the pup and dogs to pond to go swimming and burn off some energy running and playing. Then me and the puppy go check on the newbie chickens and sit and watch them. Pup likes to check out their run and eat poo while they peck around. If the older group and younger group get in a squabble the dog likes to go check it out because she's a drama queen and does not like to miss any juicy gossip.Then everyone get put up until the next day.
Now some people would think my life is so mundane but that's my idea of a good day! Of course some days work ( the kind I get paid for) gets in the way and throws my schedule off and you would not believe how that annoys me; my career is really competing with my hobbies (chickens, painting, writing, getting lost in the internet) thank goodness I'm close to retirement! Ha,ha!