daily chicken chores
Having a list of daily chicken chores is an easy way to stay on track with the care of your flock. From food to water, health maintenance, and coop upkeep, there are things you can do each day.
Raising chickens that are healthy and happy is easy to do with a list of tasks that you can do each day.
Taking care of chickens it not only easy, it’s fun. And maybe that is why so many people are added a few hens to their own backyard.
Chickens might be easy to raise, but they do require more than just food and water each day.
To ensure your flock stays healthy and safe, it’s important to stick to a regular schedule of daily chicken chores. Not only es a daily routine good for your flock it’s good for you as well.
Spending a few minutes in the coop daily will help to keep the work from piling up turning a quick task into a weekend long project.
How Many Eggs Will a Chicken Lay in a Week?
A chicken will lay an egg every 1-3 days depending on their age and breed. On average you can expect to get about 5-6 eggs a week for one chicken.
Daily Chicken Chores
Over the years I have found that doing a little each day helps to keep things from getting out of hand especially in the coop. Spot cleaning is a great way to stay on top of things.
Basic Chicken Care list:
- Fill feeder and check water supply
- Collect any eggs
- Replenish bedding in nesting boxes
- Clean scrape boards
- Spot clean out the coop
- Health Check your flock
- Check for pests or predators
- Inspect run for issues
- Provide treats and fresh greens (optional)
Let’s break down each area and give more detail to the attention needed there daily.
#1. Feed and Water
Always start your chores with food and water. This will help to keep any curious birds out of your way while you are working.
I like to start with the feed, adding more to our continuous feeder if it is getting low. Usually this needs to be done every second or third day with our size flock.
Next is the water. Chickens need access to clean, fresh water at all times. If you have an open container, you will want to dump out any water from the day before and fill it with fresh.
If you have a closed waterer or a continuous waterer this can be done weekly.
SLCG Pro Tip: Make sure you have waterers and feeders that are appropriate for the number of chickens in your flock. You will want to have one feeder for every 6-8 chickens and one water source that holds a gallon of water for every 8 chickens.
Having enough feeders and waterers will help to prevent aggression issues in the flock.
Harris Farms 1000293 Galvanized Hanging Poultry Feeder, 15 lbs, Metal
Plastic Poultry Drinker (3 Gallon) – Little Giant – Heavy Duty Plastic Gravity Fed Water Container Jar (Red) (Item No. 7906)The Chicken Health Handbook, 2nd Edition: A Complete Guide to Maximizing Flock Health and Dealing with DiseaseWORMSKING 5LB Dried Black Soldier Fly Larvae, High Calcium for Chickens2 Pieces Chicken Mirror Toys Hanging Swing Mirror Toys with Bell Wooden Pecking Toy and 4 Pieces Beak Grinding Molar Stones for Hens Birds Parrots
#2. Collect eggs
Collecting eggs should be done at least once a day and more frequently if the weather is overly hot or cold. This will help to prevent damage to the eggs that can happen from time to time.
No matter how many nesting boxes you have, your chickens will prefer to lay their eggs in the same ones each day. This is fine unless you have a large flock and that means eggs can get cracked if chickens are laying on top of them.
Tips to help keep eggs from cracking:
- Replenish any bedding in the nesting boxes as needed. This bedding helps to protect the eggs and keep them from cracking.
- To keep eggs in their best condition, collect once a day for a small flock and twice a day for a large.
- Once collected, store eggs in a cool and dry place until ready to use.
SLCG Pro Tip: In the winter, you will want extra straw in your nesting boxes to insulate the eggs until you can collect them. This will help to keep eggs from from freezing and cracking until you are able to collect them.
Coop Maintenance
Keeping a clean coop is crucial for the health and well-being of your chickens and that means you will need to keep the manure to a minimum.
To help with this chore, you can place boards under their roost to catch droppings during the night. Each day, remove the boards and scrape them into your compost area.
Another tip is to use a scraper to clean off the roost to help keep feet clean. Clean feet mean clean eggs.
Here is a great midlife tip:
Keep a bucket inside the coop that you can scrape manure into. Do a spot cleaning each morning putting any soiled bedding and manure into the bucket. Once full, take it to your compost area and dump.
A bucket is much easier to manure than a board that is covered in a night’s worth of chicken manure.
It might not seem like much, but just a bucket a day can keep the coop in much better condition. Manure smells and the more you can remove the better things will look and smell.
Health Check
Aside from daily chores, it’s important to do a quick health check on your chickens. This is easy to do at feed time. While your chickens are eating, look at them all and be sure everyone is behaving normally.
Any signs of sick chicken or injury should be addressed immediately. Look for birds that are staying off by themselves, are limping, have a hunched back or a dirty back end.
All of these are signs to investigate further.
SLCG Pro Tip: Hold your chickens routinely as you do your daily chores. This will help you to feel their body’s condition, which can be hidden by their feathers. It will also acclimate your chickens to your touch, allowing you to administer care more easily if needed.
Pest and Predator Checks
The safety of your flock is a top priority, so it’s important to regularly check for signs of pests or predators in the coop and surrounding area.
Look for broken eggs, nests made in corners, or droppings, not from your chickens. If you see any signs of unwanted guests, inspect your coop. Ensure all openings are secure and any potential hiding spots for predators are removed.
READ: How to Keep Predators Out of Your Coop
Treats and Greens (optional)
While not necessary, providing treats such as mealworms or fresh fruits and vegetables can be a fun addition to your daily chicken chores. Just make sure the treats are appropriate for chickens and given in moderation.
Fresh greens, such as grass clippings or kitchen scraps, can also be a healthy snack for your flock.
Keeping chickens requires daily care and maintenance to ensure the health and well-being of your flock. Do a bit of work each day and you will have a cleaner coop, fresher air, and a healthier flock.
Overall, chickens are easier to raise and care for. If you are looking for even easier tips, you can set up a Self-Sufficient Chicken Coop allowing you to do fewer chores yet still raise healthy and happy egg layers.
