Rise & Shine! What's your schedule?

[Chickstarrs]

My DH is the early riser. He will let the chickens out around 6:30 or so. I am still in bed, so not exactly sure what time . Also depends on the time of year and sunrise. Around 8:00 I will fill feeders and change waterers. Sometimes they get a treat of oatmeal, scrambled eggs, rice etc. (whatever I have on hand leftover in the fridge) mid-morning.

Sunset is late here too right now. Around 8:00-8:30 most of the older birds have gone to bed. My pre-teen chicks need to be herded into the coop at this time as they have not yet learned to return to the coop on their own. My broody takes her chicks in early, around 6:30 - 7:00.

 

[MommaHen1996]

Mine refuse to sleep in the coop no matter how big I make it, or how many perches or boxes they have....I gave them too big of a run with trees and branches in it, so they sleep there instead....I staid up late many nights patrolling to see what they do and if anything comes to check them out, I’m in the suburbs so the worst that could happen would be a coon or a cat...maybe the possible bob cat or weasel.... due to all the lots getting tore down, but I have a guard dog, and a hen who took on the rooster role -.- crows every morning for about an hour, and it sounds terrible, cuz she’s a tiny legbar hen lol. So I wake up at 4am check em and they are off their perch before I even wake up. Just as soon as the sun starts peek a little.. they all want to lay their eggs at the same time most mornings...I have 6 boxes and 4 birds that lay and one that doesn’t yet, each box is over 2 feet long and wide and about a foot tall since my Bielefelders are 10 pounders... they still all fight over whichever box the boss hen Omanita lays her egg in, it’s like a community egg laying session... with constant bickering. After dealing with all their signage I get them fresh hay and their feed and scoop all the poop I can see then add fresh hay to the boxes...then feed them and change their water. After that I get about 5 minutes to make coffee and take a breather before my youngest wakes up. Teaching my kids early to help with chicken chores and they love it

 

[HiEverybirdy]

Mine refuse to sleep in the coop no matter how big I make it, or how many perches or boxes they have....I gave them too big of a run with trees and branches in it, so they sleep there instead....I staid up late many nights patrolling to see what they do and if anything comes to check them out, I’m in the suburbs so the worst that could happen would be a coon or a cat...maybe the possible bob cat or weasel.... due to all the lots getting tore down, but I have a guard dog, and a hen who took on the rooster role -.- crows every morning for about an hour, and it sounds terrible, cuz she’s a tiny legbar hen lol. So I wake up at 4am check em and they are off their perch before I even wake up. Just as soon as the sun starts peek a little.. they all want to lay their eggs at the same time most mornings...I have 6 boxes and 4 birds that lay and one that doesn’t yet, each box is over 2 feet long and wide and about a foot tall since my Bielefelders are 10 pounders... they still all fight over whichever box the boss hen Omanita lays her egg in, it’s like a community egg laying session... with constant bickering. After dealing with all their signage I get them fresh hay and their feed and scoop all the poop I can see then add fresh hay to the boxes...then feed them and change their water. After that I get about 5 minutes to make coffee and take a breather before my youngest wakes up. Teaching my kids early to help with chicken chores and they love it

That's cute your little Legbar took over crowing, and good point that some hens are louder than roosters, especially come laying time.

There are disputes about who gets the favorite nesting box, and then there are birds like our head hen Brahma Donna, who might not even be thinking of laying, but as others settle into boxes, she'll walk around cackling for an hour to announce there are ladies in the nesting boxes, ladies in the nesting boxes, ladies in the nesting boxes. Sometimes the rooster bakaws in response. Curious habit. I'd love to know why they do that.

 

[3KillerBs]

then there are birds like our head hen Brahma Donna, who might not even be thinking of laying, but as others settle into boxes, she'll walk around cackling for an hour to announce there are ladies in the nesting boxes, ladies in the nesting boxes, ladies in the nesting boxes.

That's funny! My Brahma, the one in my avatar, announces her eggs and everyone else's eggs.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

I snuck five Brahma chicks under my broody (hormonal Helen) speckled Sussex, Dottie, the day after Mother’s Day, so I have to go out and feed everyone at the butt-crack of dawn now too. We have a JVR Auto door (https://www.amazon.com/JVR-Automati...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=) and Grandpa’s Feeders, but I don’t want any of the chicks to get stuck inside the feeder. I’ve got them closed off and everyone eating out of rubber bowls. Which of course means I need to bring the food in at night so I’m not also feeding the mice!

They’re SO worth getting up and out early!

 

[Lemon-Drop]

I let the chickens out between 6:30-7:30 in the morning. I first grab their feed, hook it up to the chain (their feed hangs) then open the pop door. They all come running out!

 

[BDutch]

I love it. Lazy chicken ownership is my goal lol - I need those auto doors.
Question - they cannot get wet? Or yours was damaged during the storm?

I have made the auto opener inside the bright and airy coop. I adjusted the lumen to open and close. Bc the factory setting is for outdoor mounting.

But one day after a storm the roof was leaking and at the point of the chicken guard water came in. The thread to lift the door (a plastic slicing board ) got wet. The system got stuck. I made a new roof after this. After drying the thread and auto pop door it works again.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Sooo many early risers! I have my Chicken Guard auto door set for 7:45 AM. We wake up around 8:45 AM (at least that's what the alarm is currently set to) and after letting the dogs out and feeding them, then I go to feed the chickens (no food is left out overnight unless there's chicks under 4 weeks old). No surprise, but we go to bed late, around 1- 2 AM.

 

[BDutch]

….
Being an early riser I get very impatient waiting for my hens to go to bed so I can close up the coop for the night at this time of year. I've yet to figure out how to get them to go into the coop on command.

The new coop will change my routine since it's an Open Air style that combines coop and run so I won't have to open and close doors.

If you call* and give them tasty food in the coop when you want to lock up , they will come as quick as they can to get locked up early.
Just a few mealworms each, some tasty grains, a bit of boiled rice or something else you know they like very much will do the trick.
Start 10 minutes before your usual bedtime. I bet they will learn this in 3 or 4 days. Then you can extend the time. Or call at other times when you want to lock them up.
You need a sound to call them , which the chickens can recognise. I call them with “kip-pies” and by clapping my hands if they are out of sight.

 

[BDutch]

…

There are disputes about who gets the favorite nesting box, and then there are birds like our head hen Brahma Donna, who might not even be thinking of laying, but as others settle into boxes, she'll walk around cackling for an hour to announce there are ladies in the nesting boxes, ladies in the nesting boxes, ladies in the nesting boxes. Sometimes the rooster bakaws in response. Curious habit. I'd love to know why they do that.

General: Hens that have laid an egg do not make the egg song to indicate that they have laid an egg but to call the other hens "where are you" because they want to rejoin the flock. If you listen closely, you probably can hear the rooster calling her back.

I assume this Brahma Donna has a strong urge to keep the flock together. Chickens are individuals with their own way of doing things.