My Daily Chicken Routine!!!! What's Yours?

[Sycamore Hill Chicks]

Hi everyone!! Today I wanted to share my family's chicken routine and hear about some of yours! A little disclaimer - there is no one right way to keep chickens.

6:30 - Automatic coop door opens

Some point during the morning, usually between 7-10, me or whoever else is on morning chicken duty will head out to the coop and check on the girls. Food and water will be checked and filled as needed. Ever morning we also just give each girl a once over and check to make sure that everyone is doing chicken things. Lastly, we will check for early eggs. 2 of our girls have started are laying and we are getting around a dozen eggs a week. Yay! Then around midday, we will collect eggs if the girls have not already laid. Not every day, but most days, around 4 or 5, we will let the chickens out for around 20 minutes to an 1 hour for some supervised free range time. This is also when they get treats. Once they are back in the coop, that is when I do some light housekeeping as needed. Spot clean the coop, scraps surfaces, fluff up the meeting box.

5:37 (I know that's a weird number haha) - The coop door closes

Anyway, super easy peasy and fun! Not including optional stuff, like free range time and snuggling them, it only takes around 15 minutes each day. What's your routines?

 

[The Cave]

Mine is quite similar! Its still dark here till about 7:30am. So usually march out around then to open up the coops, check on everyone put out fresh feed and treats, clean waters/fill....go back at in afternoon sometime to hang out with the young ones who love attention and let the big girls out for some free ranging. Once it gets dusk here, usually around 6ish I go back out to find the big girls in their coop, do a head count (only 2 atm so very easy)...lock them up, go over to the littles coop they think its always party time when I show up so herd them inside hang out, watch them bask in the heat lamps a bit then say goodnight and lock them up !

here’s a photo of baby time

 

[Sycamore Hill Chicks]

Aww

Mine is quite similar! Its still dark here till about 7:30am. So usually march out around then to open up the coops, check on everyone put out fresh feed and treats, clean waters/fill....go back at in afternoon sometime to hang out with the young ones who love attention and let the big girls out for some free ranging. Once it gets dusk here, usually around 6ish I go back out to find the big girls in their coop, do a head count (only 2 atm so very easy)...lock them up, go over to the littles coop they think its always party time when I show up so herd them inside hang out, watch them bask in the heat lamps a bit then say goodnight and lock them up !

here’s a photo of baby time
View attachment 2400824

So sweet!!!!!! They are so pretty!

 

[CatsandCrops]

Between 6a-7a let the monsters out of their coop and into their enclosed run. Morning is fodder time so usually throw that around the run in chunks so everyone can eat their own piece in peace. I do a quick once over of the coop/run/chickens and fill the outdoor waterer if needed. They have 24/7 access to a different waterer and their dry feed inside the coop - these are both filled on Saturday or Sunday morning.

Around lunch time, I head back out and gather any eggs. I'll hang out with them for a little and straighten up the run or check anyone who seems to be extra weird that day (our chickens are all weirds in general lol) If we have any kitchen scraps, garden leftovers (or weeds when its growing season), etc I'll give it to them around that time.

It's fall here and the sun sets at about 5p. At about 4-430p after I'm done with work for the day (I'm work from home for the foreseeable future) I'll give them a little bit of fermented food in hopes it'll help keep them warm overnight and do one last check for eggs. Eventually after sunset either my husband or I will go out and shut the prop door. We live in the woods so we have a ton of predators - having both the enclosed run and the coop shut up at night give us a little more peace of mind.

 

[Sally PB]

I open the pop door about 20 minutes before sunrise. I take the food out, top off water, sing my "Good morning chickens" song.

I check on them several times a day, and check the nest box for eggs, as there is no set time for laying. Depending on the weather, I uncover a little of the roof of the run for more daylight. Early afternoon is poop scoop time. Whatever I find in the run and on the poop mat goes into a bucket for the garden or compost pile. (It takes all of five minutes, tops.) Sometime during the day, we have treat time. Greens/weeds, squash goop, BOSS, fruit bits, very occasionally some bread. Whenever I'm out, I go by the run and talk to them. They run over to the fence to see me.

They're in an enclosed run, so night time is easy. I wait till sunset-plus-15 minutes so that I don't disturb their going in routine. I take a flashlight and count birds on the roost, close up the door, lock up the run, take the food inside. I sing my "Good night chickens" song to them too.

 

[ILoveDaffy]

Mine is quite similar! Its still dark here till about 7:30am. So usually march out around then to open up the coops, check on everyone put out fresh feed and treats, clean waters/fill....go back at in afternoon sometime to hang out with the young ones who love attention and let the big girls out for some free ranging. Once it gets dusk here, usually around 6ish I go back out to find the big girls in their coop, do a head count (only 2 atm so very easy)...lock them up, go over to the littles coop they think its always party time when I show up so herd them inside hang out, watch them bask in the heat lamps a bit then say goodnight and lock them up !

here’s a photo of baby time
View attachment 2400824

AWWWWW! Your babies are ADORABLE! My "babies" are nearly fully grown, and "teens". I miss this phase!

 

[ILoveDaffy]

I do still get my bedtime baby time, they like to roost on me for a bit, then head to the coop for bed, except my sweet youngest, who uses me as one!

 

[Sycamore Hill Chicks]

I open the pop door about 20 minutes before sunrise. I take the food out, top off water, sing my "Good morning chickens" song.

I check on them several times a day, and check the nest box for eggs, as there is no set time for laying. Depending on the weather, I uncover a little of the roof of the run for more daylight. Early afternoon is poop scoop time. Whatever I find in the run and on the poop mat goes into a bucket for the garden or compost pile. (It takes all of five minutes, tops.) Sometime during the day, we have treat time. Greens/weeds, squash goop, BOSS, fruit bits, very occasionally some bread. Whenever I'm out, I go by the run and talk to them. They run over to the fence to see me.

They're in an enclosed run, so night time is easy. I wait till sunset-plus-15 minutes so that I don't disturb their going in routine. I take a flashlight and count birds on the roost, close up the door, lock up the run, take the food inside. I sing my "Good night chickens" song to them too.

Sounds great!

 

[Sycamore Hill Chicks]

I do still get my bedtime baby time, they like to roost on me for a bit, then head to the coop for bed, except my sweet youngest, who uses me as one!

Aww!

 

[Sycamore Hill Chicks]

Between 6a-7a let the monsters out of their coop and into their enclosed run. Morning is fodder time so usually throw that around the run in chunks so everyone can eat their own piece in peace. I do a quick once over of the coop/run/chickens and fill the outdoor waterer if needed. They have 24/7 access to a different waterer and their dry feed inside the coop - these are both filled on Saturday or Sunday morning.

Around lunch time, I head back out and gather any eggs. I'll hang out with them for a little and straighten up the run or check anyone who seems to be extra weird that day (our chickens are all weirds in general lol) If we have any kitchen scraps, garden leftovers (or weeds when its growing season), etc I'll give it to them around that time.

It's fall here and the sun sets at about 5p. At about 4-430p after I'm done with work for the day (I'm work from home for the foreseeable future) I'll give them a little bit of fermented food in hopes it'll help keep them warm overnight and do one last check for eggs. Eventually after sunset either my husband or I will go out and shut the prop door. We live in the woods so we have a ton of predators - having both the enclosed run and the coop shut up at night give us a little more peace of mind.

Nice!