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Chicken are not only beautiful birds but they also come with plenty of economic benefits. But before you enjoy those eggs, they do require some work on your part to keep the chicken healthy and happy. It’s not hard to take care of chickens, but it is important that you do the required tasks to stay healthy and productive.
Feeding chickens is one of the most important chicken care tasks. By gathering up all the food from the previous night and putting it in their feeder, you are making sure that they have everything they need to stay healthy.
Feeding chickens is one of those important tasks that you need to tend to regularly if you want your flock to be healthy and happy. By following these simple tips, you’ll be able to learn more about keeping happy and healthy backyard chickens.
Daily Chicken Care Tasks
Check the Water and Clean it as Needed
Make sure your hens always have a clean source of fresh water. Chickens don’t like to drink dirty water, and they can dehydrate if water isn’t available. Make sure to check and refill their water as needed so that they always have a fresh source of water available.
Shavings, straw, and poop can get in the water and muck it up throughout the day. So, refresh the water if you notice any debris or sliminess in the container. Use dish soap and water for regular cleanings, and rinse well before refilling. You can also use chlorine bleach or oxygen bleach as needed to sanitize the water container, as long as you rinse it thoroughly.
Give the Chickens Fresh Food and Treats
Make sure you give your chickens enough food to eat, but never too much. According to chicken-care experts, hens don’t tend to overeat as long as they have a constant food supply. If possible, avoid feeding them cat or dog food because it might be too rich for their system. Instead, feed them stuff designed for chickens. You can free feed your chickens with a large hanging feeder, adding the chicken feed as needed. Hanging feeders also help attract nesting hummingbirds.
Open the Coop and Close Coop Doors
Open the coop door early in the morning to let your chickens out. They’ll be ready for breakfast when you are, and they’ll go about their business while doing what comes naturally. Then close up the coop again at night, so predators don’t get inside. You might even consider installing an automatic door closer if you have a big coop and a yard with lots of trees.
Overall Health Check
An overall flock health check is always a good idea, but it’s more important if you’re new to chicken care. Because they are prey animals, chickens hide any signs of weakness or illness until it’s too late. This may be their natural defense mechanism, but it makes life difficult for their human counterparts unless they know what to look for.
Collect Eggs Daily
Collect eggs at least once or twice a day. To get the freshest eggs, which are also the easiest to clean, don’t leave them sitting in their nests for more than 12 hours. Chickens like routine and will come back to lay new eggs in their favorite nests time after time. Collecting eggs daily also minimizes cracked eggs and maximizes freshness.
Observe the Chickens’ Behavior
Because chickens are prey animals, they often hide their illnesses or injuries for a while. If your chickens aren’t acting like themselves, there may be an issue that should be addressed before it worsens. Begin by watching the chickens’ behavior to see if something seems off.
Weekly Chicken Care Tasks
Clean Coop
A clean coop minimizes the number of pests and parasites in your coop. Weekly cleaning, which includes removing all wet bedding, provides a dry surface for the bedding and helps cut down on smells and debris that attract insects and pests.
Refill Oyster Shells and Grit
Chickens need oyster shells for their diet. The shells provide the calcium they need to form eggs. Grit is also necessary to help them digest food. They may get grit from naturally occurring deposits in soil or by ingesting tiny rocks, but it is always good to have some on hand in case they don’t have any of their own.
Raking Out the Run
Driftwood is not just for looks but to help you rake out the run. Driftwood can be anything that your chickens access on a daily basis. It keeps them entertained and gives them something to play with while outside. Keeping driftwood in the run makes it easier for you to remove other debris as well, including old food, mud, and manure.
Monthly Chicken Care Tasks
Manage the Bedding
How you do this depends on the litter method you’re using. For flocks with a small area, change the bedding in the chicken coop at least monthly. However, flocks in larger spaces can use the deep litter method. For this method, begin with three to four inches of bedding.
Each month, add more bedding until you have six inches or more. Then, remove all the bedding twice a year and start over. In addition, you can compost chicken litter for use in the garden as it’s rich in nitrogen.
Freshen the Nest Boxes
You should do this every time you clean the coop. When the bedding in the nest box becomes soiled with poop or broken eggs, pull out the dirty parts and put in fresh bedding material. This helps to keep your hens laying in the nest boxes, making the job of cleaning eggs easier.
Sanitize the Waterers
At least monthly, you should give the water containers a deep clean. Sanitize them with your choice of solution. The simplest in one part bleach to ten parts water. Then, scrub the waterers with dish soap and warm water, and rinse well to remove any remaining bleach and soap before refilling with fresh water.
Semi-Yearly Chicken Care Tasks
Deep Clean and Sanitize the Coop
Once or twice a year, remove everything, including bedding, nesting boxes, and containers for feed and water. Use part one bleach, one part dish soap, and one part water for cleaning. You should do this in between flocks or if a member of your flock comes with a contagious disease.
Some people prefer sprinkling diatomaceous earth in the coop to cut down on mites and keep the hens healthy. Get food-grade diatomaceous earth, and don’t worry if the hens eat a little bit.
Prepare for the Winter
If you live in an area where it gets cold, prepare the coop at least a week before wintertime. You will need to add insulation and block drafts on the windows and door. Chicken fleece is a good option for insulating, but straw or hay can work as well. You can use heaters for your waterers if necessary.
And consider whether you want to use a light to keep your hens laying in the winter. Make sure you have a roosting space for everyone, as this is how hens stay warm. You should not heat your chicken coop.
FAQs on Easy Chicken Care Tasks to Make Part of Your Routine
Are chickens easy to take care of?
Chickens are very easy to take care of. They require minimal work and daily maintenance, and they give back a lot. You can also learn how to care for baby birds if you love them.
Do chickens need grass?
Chickens need bugs and vegetation like grass to be healthy. They do not need a lot of grass, but they should have access to some outside areas free from obstruction.
Final Thought on Easy Chicken Care Tasks to Make Part of Your Routine
As you can see, chickens are not as difficult to take care of as you may have been led to believe. Taking care of chickens is fun and rewarding and makes a great addition to any family or homestead.
They are very interesting animals that can teach you about building relationships with living beings. Chickens will reward your time spent with them by providing delicious eggs for your family for months to come.
The post Easy Chicken Care Tasks to Make Part of Your Routine appeared first on Kitchen Infinity.
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