When do your ladies get up and go to bed?

[joy1355]

My baby chicks get up early than me. They wake me up and then i let them out arround 6:30, and put they back to sleep arround 8.

 

[WriterofWords]

Mine leave the coop at 6am, their door is open in the spring and summer, I'm lucky I don't have to lock them in. They put themselves to bed at about 7 each evening. As soon as Duchess puts the babies away, the other hens go to bed too.

 

[norcal]

They used to be up & at it first thing in the morning. Now when I open their coop, they are on the roost. I think it's because the rooster can't mount them on the roost.

Dang rooster.

I open them up between 6:30-7:20, they call sleep time, right now it's about 8:30pm. Was 8:45, but the days are getting shorter.....

 

[shandiane78]

Thanks for all the replies! I have another question - When you put them to bed, do you put the food and water in with them? I have been in case they get hungry or thirsty in the morning before I let them out, but yesterday morning one of the hens must have knocked the water pretty hard (they are clumsy about flying off the roost). So a little water got spilled inside the coop, which made me worry about moisture, plus I had to change all the wet litter. I use a big bucket for their water, so it's quite heavy. No one's ever spilled it all the way, but still I want to keep it off the floor and out of their litter. But I was thinking, if I use a light to wake them up earlier in their coop, they should probably have food and water available in there, right?

Thanks again,
Shannon

 

[scooter147]

Quote:
Nope not necessary, If you are letting them out at a decent time in the morning they will be just fine.
I don't leave food or water in the coop for the reason you mention above.

 

[Sissy]

We have the barn light near their window and its
their signal when to rise and when to hit the roost LoL
it slowly goes on at dusk and it stays on until dawn and it gives them a little light all night long. and they sure do gift us.
I have them in a coop with a secure run and they come and go as they please. I also have a 35lb. feeder and 5 gal waterer its to heavy to kick over and the feeder is hanging.
I also put a heat lamp in the coop in winter months it keeps the water from freezing.

 

[vnploveschickens]

We have a big window in their coop which lets in alot of natural light. We also have an automatic pop door which has a light sensor, so it opens and closes based on the amount of light that hits the sensor.

The flock goes out into their locked pen in the AM. Everyone is inside on the roost when it becomes dusk, between 8-8:15pm here in Sonoma County, Northern California these days. The door itself closes itself about 8:30 or so. No one has ever been locked out.

I have food and water in their coop 24/7. I also keep an extra waterer outside in the pen.

 

[norcal]

Quote:
Same here.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
I keep food/water 24/7 in my coop. The birds can go in and out all day long and eat if hungry. But i dont think that you have to keep the feed out all night. Actually alot of people dont becasue of rats. I'd be more concerned that they have water at ALL times though..