What do you wear??

[Uwish]

Well unless your crawling around on your hands and knees in the coop honestly you don’t need anything different except a designated pair of shoes or 2.. I have my winter shoes and my summer work shoes that’s the only thing I change. I handle my birds constantly plus mine are extremely friendly when I go to them several fly and land on me and ride around on me while I do stuff occasionally I get pooped on and when I do I just change my shirt or pants. No biggie.

 

[Redbirdacres]

As an RN, I have had to care for a number of patients with back injuries and life long disabilities. I am very fortunate that I have not had any back problems, and I go out of my way to protect my back both on the job and at home. I hope you are getting proper treatment for your back condition. I know it can be difficult with back injuries, pain, and pain management.



Back injuries at any age are terrible. I have known a few nurses who damaged their backs on the job and, like you, at a young age. I am glad to hear that you maintain a positive attitude towards life and hope you can enjoy your dream for many years to come.



Before I suggest what to wear, might I first suggest you (re)think your chicken coop and run setup. I'm 61 years old now, and when I built my coop and run, I designed it so that I never have to go inside the coop or the run to feed, water, and gather all my eggs. I can do everything from outside in my regular street clothes and never get them soiled. I don't need any special clothes or shoes because they never come into contact with chicken stuff. Of course, I do wash my hands after refilling the feeder, waterer, and collecting eggs every day.



A couple times a year I do clean out my chicken coop and put down fresh deep litter. On those days, I will usually wear some old clothes and either an old pair of tennis shoes or my mud boots. Cleaning out the coop can be a dusty process, so I also wear a face mask. When I get back into the house, I strip off the clothes and throw them in the dirty laundry by the washing machine - so they don't really get into the house. My shoes or boots can be taken off either at the door or in the garage. No big deal. Because I can get pretty dusty after the spring cleaning, I jump into the shower to wash out my hair (what's left at my age) and wash down good before putting on clean clothes. Dear Wife does not want chicken dander on our furniture, but neither do I. Like I said, I only clean out the deep litter maybe twice a year.



Old tennis shoes or mud boots work for me. Don't know your setup, but make sure you have shoes or boots that don't slip where you need to work. Protect that back as best you can. After my uncle slipped on some ice and broke his ankle, he bought some slip on rubber booties with small spikes that fit over his shoes. Easy to put on and take off, but ensures no slipping on the ice. Something like that might work for you on wet slippery grass and the such. NO FALLS!

Thank you so much! Yes, unfortunately healthcare puts us all at high risk for back injuries. For me, it came on relatively gradually until it was unbearable, but that meant I couldn't pinpoint to any one thing, and couldn't say it was a workplace injury and get compensation. I did however have ICI which has saved my house, and anything and everything I would need money to pay for! Forever grateful for that!

I of course try my best not to fall or reinjure but it's hard when most every movement causes pain. People say if it hurts, don't do it. Some of us don't have that option, or I should say, refuse to take that option! I refuse to become a bump on a log at my age with the dreams my husband and I have! ❤

 

[Lovely Lettie]

I normally wear jeans and a hoody or jumper as my everyday clothes.
But If it's sunny I wear a t shirt and jeans.

 

[gtaus]

For me, it came on relatively gradually until it was unbearable, but that meant I couldn't pinpoint to any one thing, and couldn't say it was a workplace injury and get compensation.

Unfortunately, I have heard the same story before. We had a young RN in her 20's ruin her back. She could not even sit in a chair without pain. She ended up leaving the hospital where I worked and moved to another city. Felt bad for her....

And try to get proper pain management on back pain. Almost impossible as doctors don't want to get patients addicted to pain meds - which happens all far too often. I knew a guy suffering from back pain, but the doctors would not give him pain meds due to history of substance abuse. Well, poor guy was literally crawling on the floor to go to the bathroom. Doctors did a good job preventing him from getting addicted to pain meds, but patient took his own life at home because he could not stand the pain.

I refuse to become a bump on a log at my age with the dreams my husband and I have! ❤

I'm glad you have a positive attitude towards life.

As far as caring for chickens, I really encourage you to look into setups that reduce the amount of work you need to do. I have seen setups on YouTube with automatic watering via garden hose or rain barrel. Water is about my heaviest item I carry.

I have seen some PVC feeder designs that hold massive amounts of feed and last for a very long time (depending on the number of birds). I currently have 7 chickens and my 5 gallon PVC feeder - at half full - lasts me about 10 days. If I filled it to the top, it might last as long as 3 weeks. Point is, you could probably have your husband refill the feeder every couple of weeks for you without much bother.

I have an outside access panel to my coop to gather my eggs. I never have to go inside the coop. That's a big benefit.

My coop and my run are tall enough that I don't have to bend over. I don't have a bad back, but if I had to bend over in the coop or run, I am sure that I would feel it in a short time.

Years ago, I had coop setups that required cleaning pretty much on a weekly basis. I switched over to a dry deep litter system and now only clean out the coop twice a year, but could probably get by with once a year cleaning. Again, big labor saver and seems to be better for the chickens at the same time.

Again, at my age of 61, I protect my back as much as possible. I retired my old wheelbarrow and paid twice the price to get a 4 wheeled Gorilla cart. It can carry so much more and I don't have to strain my back to prevent it from tipping over like a regular wheelbarrow. Even better, if I have a really heavy load, I can hitch it up to the riding mower and let the mower do the work of towing the load.

I also have a variety of shovels and pitchforks. Dear Wife does not understand why I have so many different shovels and forks, but I have learned over time that certain shovels and forks are needed for certain jobs. Of course, I pick the proper tool for the job which means I chose a shovel or fork that will minimize the stress on my back. For example, I have a 10-tine short D-handle bedding fork for working with wood chips and bedding litter, and a 5-tine long handle manure fork for working with the chicken run compost.

Well, sorry to go off on a tangent when our initial question was on clothing. But I think your major concern is how to minimize your work effort in caring for your chickens so you can enjoy them for years to come. Every adaptation you can make to reduce your labor effort should result in more quality time spent with your flock. Good luck.

 

[Izamarfeat]

I don’t bother about it too much.

 

[Izamarfeat]

I don’t bother about it too much.

I don’t bother about it too much. I usually wear some of my older but comfortable clothes, such as my referee costume and a pair of mud boots. I keep them by the back door in the laundry room as they are dirty most of the time. I prefer not to walk around the house in the same clothes I just wore for cleaning/handling chicks. Also, I often use long-sleeved shirts to have less contact with the skin and protect it, especially now that I have a 3 months old child.