Top Tips for Keeping Chickens When you Work All Day
When no one is home all day, it can be daunting to think about devoting time taking care of a dog or cat, much less a flock of backyard chickens!
But chickens are actually very easy to raise once you have your set-up and routine figured out - and a small flock of 5 or 6 hens will likely provide your family with plenty of eggs.
I've been asked recently to share some advice about successfully raising chickens when everyone in your household is either at work or school all day.
Since so many people seem to have gotten chickens in the last year or so, while everyone was at home, maybe working from home, doing virtual school for the kids, and now that things are reopening and maybe you're not home all day now....
I thought it was a really great topic that I hadn't covered in the past. So here goes.
Top Tips for Keeping Chickens When you Work All Day
Of course your chickens, like all flocks, will need a coop to sleep in at night. And since you won’t be home during the day, you’ll also need an attached completely enclosed pen, or run, that's nice and safe for your chickens to spend their day in.
Keeping them confined when you’re not home will not only protect them from predators (including dogs, foxes, raccoon, weasels, hawks, eagles and owls), but also keep them out of the road, away from your neighbor’s garden and from making camp and pooping all over your patio or porch.
If you don't plan on being home all day, free ranging isn't going to be a viable option or you will come home one day to find one (or all) of your chickens missing. Save the free ranging for weekends when you can stay outside with them and supervise.
Coop Considerations
- Predator-proof latch on the door (ie, locking eye hook, latch with carabiner, key or padlock)
- Good ventilation with all windows and vents covered in ½” welded wire
- At least 3-4 square feet of floor space per chicken
- 8” of roosting bar space per chicken
- One nesting box for each 3-4 hens (consider roll-away boxes)
Run Considerations
- Predator-proof latch on door
- 1’ or ½” welded wire fencing, or chain link wrapped in chicken wire
- Fencing sunk into the ground about a foot
- Top covered with a solid roof or more welded wire
- Swings, benches, outdoor perches - things to keep the chickens busy and occupied
Daily Chicken Keeping Routine
Chicken are very routine oriented. As much as possible, you should try to stick to the same routine on weekends as you do during the week.
Morning Chicken Keeping Routine
You should open up the coop and let the chickens out into the run about the same time each morning.
Normally around sunrise is best, but if your work schedule dictates that you leave before sunup, as long as your run is predator-proofed, you can open the coop door and the chickens will come out on their own when it gets light out.
Chicken Feed
When you open up the coop, you will need to feed the chickens. You can measure out feed every morning, or to save time you can purchase a large feeder that holds many days’ worth of feed.
Chickens, unlike dogs for example, won’t overeat. A hen will eat about a half a cup of feed a day, but you can fill a larger feeder on the weekend when you have more time and the feed should last a small flock all week. Each hen will only eat as much as she needs.
Chicken Water
Same goes for waterers. Chickens, like all living things, need constant access to water. A large waterer can be filled over the weekend when you have more time and should last several days for a small flock. The waterer should be checked and refreshed or refilled as necessary each morning.
It's a good idea to put out more than one water source for your chickens if you won't be home all day, in case one tips over, gets clogged with dirt, or gets pooped in.
Especially in the warm weather when the chickens will drink more and need to cool down and stay hydrated, setting up several watering stations is a good idea.
Chicken Eggs
Check the nesting boxes (or floor) for any eggs that early risers might have laid, and you're done! To prevent accidental breakage or egg eating, you might want to consider roll away nesting boxes.
On a daily basis, letting the chickens out and checking feed and water in the morning should only take a few minutes.
At the end of the day, collecting eggs and locking up should also only take a few minutes.
Evening Chicken Keeping Routine
Conversely, at the end of the day, your chickens will head into the coop and hop up onto the roosting bars at dusk. The coop door should be shut and locked shortly after.
If your work hours don’t allow you to be home at sunrise and sunset, a good option is to install an automatic coop door.
There are lots of different types - some run on electricity or battery, some are solar - and they can be set to open and close at the proper times. They work very well to keep chickens safe and locked up when they need to be.
Each evening, one last check for eggs and it's time to lock up the coop.
Weekend Routine
Weekends when you have more time can be set aside to clean the coop, refresh bedding and nesting boxes, clean and refill feeders and waterers and head to the feed store to restock your supplies and feed.
While caring for a small flock of chickens doesn’t have to take lots of time, you and your family will likely find yourselves relaxing after school or work watching the chickens roam around the yard, enjoying a bit of free range time before bed.
And while chickens do need to be cared for on a daily basis, often a neighbor or family member will offer to take over the duties in exchange for a basket full of fresh eggs when you are on vacation or want to go away for a few days.
You can’t beat fresh eggs for taste and nutrition; they’re a wonderful source of protein and a kitchen staple - and an excellent way to thank a friend for watching your chickens when you aren't able to or need to be away longer than just for the day.
