So what is the typical day like?

[Sierra pachie bars]

My dog sleeps with me, so he alerts me by barking when my teenager gets up. She gets up early around 5 :30 am to get ready for high school which starts early. Milo gets out of bed and goes with me to let him out to go potty. we go out and open door to hens coop. We then go inside helps my elementry school aged kids get ready for school. I load kids up and dog up in car and we head out to drop them off at school. Then Milo (my dog) and I head out to our local Starbucks, either the coffee shop or the one in the grocery store. Somedays we might stop and get some things my kids need at Target or Vons. Then we head home and check water and food levels. Sit and play with chickens for about a half hour or so. We then either sit and play on computer or lay down and watch tv cuddled on couch. We check for eggs about three times a day. About 1:45pm I load Milo into car again and we head to get the kids from school. Come home , play with chickens and start dinner. At about 5:30 I go out close hens door for night. I then shower , lay down in bed with laptop and Milo and remain there for evening.

 

[crazyhen]

I wake up around 5 and feed the inside kitty, then straight to the coffee pot. While its getting ready I put up the dishes from the dishwasher. It is still very dark. I can hear a rooster or two crowing next door. They will venture over here in about an hour. At day break,
I then make up plates of greens, scrambled eggs etc. for the chicks and hens. I put on my muck boots. I feed the stray cats when I go out first. One follows me down the hill. I have to be very careful not to step on the little lady. I go down the hill 24 steep steps and then to the shed where I get all their water and feed ready. I take it to them and turn the big girls out. They come out running. I turn off the red light from the chicks and put on a white light for them to know its daytime. I also open the main door so they can see the outside and get some fresh air. The chicks are behind the second door, a screened one. I am in the process of letting my big brahma hens get a little use to the new buff orps. Dolly my brahma, got in behind me the other day with the chicks and proceeded to peck at them a bit. So out she went quick. I scrub out the waters and set up for the day. Sometimes there will be an egg. I look at the poop from the night before, sort of glance to check to see if all is well. Fluff up their shavings and cover the nights poop. It falls into a plastic container beneath the roost. I take it out once a week while the weather is cold. Then back up the hill, (watching to keep from stepping on the kitty Sweet Pea. ) Now I fix bkf. The day has begun. Those steps right now can get icy so I have to take it slow.
I love this life. I have a good reason to get up each day and thank God that I can. I always feel better after being out in the crisp air a little while feeding up. Do any of you notice that too? Jean

 

[BeccaOH]

Interesting thread!

I work most days 9 to 5. My house dog generally demands a walk before I do anything. So, I drag myself out of bed and still in PJs I put on a coat (often lined with a robe for warmth) and yard shoes and head out.
Take a treat to the outside dog.
Open chicken's run door and throw them some scratch and kitchen scraps.
Open garage door for cats to come out.
Get ready for work.
When I get home these days around 5:30 it is getting dark enough to close the chicken run door.
Throw scratch on the coop floor and check water and laying mash feeder.
Gather eggs.
Feed and water dog and cats.
Close garage door for the night.

It was nice being home all day during the holidays. I took treats to the chickens during the middle of the day and had time to watch them play with their food.

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

Hmmm
Weekdays with snow-
Get up shovel steps, walk etc. Shovel out mid sized SUV. Start and warm up SUV
Shovel path to coop. Tell girls i will be back. Go back to house. Grab water/food. Run back out to coop. Feed and water. Catch Audrey and put her back in coop. (Nice day) go around and open door to run.
Head back to house get dh and kid out the door.
Afternoon- shovel path AGAIN. head back and get fresh water/food. Go back out and give the girls food/water. Catch Audrey as she leaves and heads up path to house. Bring her in to visit.

Bring back out and lock the girls up for night

Weekdays no snow- Get up a bit later.
Grab food and water head out and feed. Catch Audrey and put her back with her sisters.
Feed and water. Open door to run. Hang out a bit with girls. Go in and get dh and kid
Afternoon-Go back out and give the girls food/water. Catch Audrey as she leaves and heads up path to house. Bring her in to visit.

Bring back out and lock the girls up for night

Weekend with snow- get up MUCH Later.
Have breakfast and coffee.
Shovel path to coop. Check on girls quickly. Head back to house, get food water. Go back to feed. Grab Audrey as she heads to house. Bring her in to visit

Bring her back out. Hang out with girls. Open door to run. Possibly shovel run.

Afternoon- Shovel path to coop. Check on girls quickly. Head back to house, get food water. Go back to feed. Grab Audrey as she heads to house. Bring her in to visit

Bring her back out. Hang out with girls. Open door to run. Possibly shovel run.

Clean coop

Weekend no snow-
Get up later than usual. Kid lets chooks out on weekend.
Feed family (love those pillsbury rolls!)Let girls out and feed them in the run.
Clean coop. Hang out with chickens majority of the day.
Catch Audrey if she begins heading to the house without us.
Afternoon- same as other days. Always including catching Audrey

Oh. Add getting eggs in there morning and afternoon

 

[wings]

I enjoy going out in the morning to see my flock. Once you have a good system going, it shouldn't take more than 20 minutes to care for your flock each day.
I go out in the morning with a small bucket of treat for the girls (stale bread, leftover vegetables, etc.) and throw it down in their yard. After I watch them happily eat for a few minutes and make sure everyone is fine, I go in the coop and shake their food bucket down (we have one of those fairly automatic feeders) and add a scoop of oyster shells. Then I check for eggs (we have the set-up so I don't have to go in the coop to check, I can check from the outside). Lastly, I give one last check on the chickens and head off for school.
At night, I close them up and turn their heat on (if it's cold outside).
On the weekends, I scoop a little of their poop out and add more litter to their nesting boxes.
Overall care takes 15 min. a day.

 

[JennsPeeps]

Week day (winter):
6:30 - get up, get ready for work
7:00 - let girls into their run, check for eggs and shake down the feeder
7:03 - go back inside
7:12 - leave for bus (I've got my timing to an art!)
---work day---
6:30-ish - close up and lock coop as soon as I get home from work, collect eggs

Weekend (winter):
7:00 - get up, let girls into the back yard, spend a few minutes giving them scratch, watching them, visiting, catching up on neighborhood gossip
couple of times during the day - take kitchen scraps, collect egg(s), catch the banty cochin to socialize her
sometime during the day - 20-30 mins to clean the coop, put in fresh shavings, refresh feed & water
4:30-5:00 - lock girls up for the night

That's it. I've got a small, urban coop and 4 chickens.

(edited b/c I submitted too early)

 

[deerman]

Carefull all you early risers, know what they say early bird gets the worm.

I do have some good wormer here.

I got to bed when the sun comes up.

 

[pattycake]

I love this thread -- now when I get up in the dark and throw a coat over my pajamas, put on my muck boots, and go outside with a bucket of scratch, feed, and grit and a watering can full of water... I'll think of all of you doing the same, all across the country!

 

[Mom 2em All]

my day starts at 3:50 a.m- I get up and have coffee with my husband as he is getting ready for work.

I get out of bed and make my way to the back door to let the dogs out.

I have to feed the cats before I can get to my coffee pot - or else they jump up on the counter-weave between my feet, etc. After I fill their six dishes, I get a cup of coffee, then let the dogs in.

Now they line up for their food.
Three dishes go down- and I stand there and make sure they dont eat each others food.

I watch a little news with my husband, and he leaves at 4:45. I take my shower, get ready for work- and wake my son at 5:15/ while he is getting ready for school, I usually do some household chores- laundry, sweeping, etc. Get my daughter up at six am to get ready for school.

If I am going to making something that can go into the crock pot I prepare it at that time (roast, etc). If not, I use this time to get the tortoise his food, feed the parrots, etc, then take my son to school at 6:40. When I get back from that, I see my daughter off to the bus stop- and wake my youngest up to get ready for school. I get the chickens feed/water ready at this time...clean up after the tortoise, get online for a bit.
At 7:30, I go out to the chickens and tend to them. Gather any eggs, feed, do a head count, etc.
I leave my house at 8:15 to drop off my youngest, then off to work I go.

When I get home at 6-6:30 pm, I use a flashlight and find any eggs that were laid, check on the chickens, etc.

Then I go in, start dinner and normal household hoopla until i go to bed around 8:30 pm.

This all changes when the weather is nice and the days are longer. All morning/eveing chores may be forgotten about so that I can sit outside and have my coffee with my chickens, and enjoy the evening hours with them also.