Poll: What time do you go to the coop to let your chickens out?

[Organics North]

Half hour or so after first light. So around 5:30 this time of year.

They let me know when.. I can hear them complaining with the windows open..

ON

 

[Kat'sChicks]

Quote:
X4

x5

Ditto

 

[noodleroo]

About 6:15 a.m. I get up, automatic coffee maker has done its thing, make a cup of coffee, put on my pink TSC mules, ask Patsy (rough coat collie) if she want's to go potty and see the babies which of course she does and I let the babies out. I guess we'll always call 'em 'babies'. They're almost 11 wks old now. So, that's how my morning starts...

 

[bigoakhunter]

This time of year in Michigan, I let them out about 6:30 to 7:30am, in the winter it is more like 7: 30 to 8:00am.

The 2 dogs go out with me and I usually stick around to watch the show- Roo chasing hens when they first come out.

 

[lovinlife]

I feed the horses at 5:45 and I open the run gate when I'm done - around 6:00. The chickens aren't up yet, but they come out soon after that.

Last winter I didn't let them out until after I got home from work, around 5:00pm. I have quite a few more chickens this year, so I may let them out in the morning. However, I found that if I let them out in the morning, they didn't lay in the nests as well. I'm guessing some of them are laying in hidden spots that I can't find. I want the eggs, so I may leave them in longer once the pullets start laying so they figure out where to lay their eggs. The seasoned layers seem to go back to the nests to lay.

 

[NHchicks]

Around 6:30 a.m. they wake me up enough to get out there in my p.j.'s and let them out. They stampede like they've been tortured for hours. Sometimes I'm able to go back to bed, but always I have to stay at the coop and stare at them for a little while, they're so fun to watch.

I envy those of you with electric doors! Gotta get me one of them.

At night I wait till just about dark to close up the coop, otherwise I take 50 trips out there and someone is always straggling outside.

Great thread!

 

[Beekissed]

I don't have to, as my pop door is open all day every day. They come and go as they please.

 

[grendel]

I have an enclosed run so they can let themselves out.

 

[Heathercp]

Pop door opens automatically at 6am, and they come out when they're ready. I usually head out there around that time to move their food (or should I say the squirrels' food) outside. They never seem to eat in the coop. Just go there to sleep and lay. I made the mistake of feeding them scratch in the morning and now they start squawking up a storm as soon as they see movement in the house. As soon as they see a shadow pass by a window it's "bawk, bawk, bawk", and I've got to hurry out and quiet them down for the sake of the neighbors' sleep. We're zoned for the chickens, and I'm completely legal, but I still want to keep the peace. Because my chickens are so used to free ranging, I really hate to think what they'd do if they were confined to their run for any length of time. It'd be a bad day for the girls on the bottom of the pecking order, I'm sure.

 

[Chickenaddict]

6:30-7 am this time of year, later in the winter.