Chicken Chores

Chickens are a great first homestead animal because they are very low maintenance. I’m going to take you through my chicken chores, so you can see just how easy backyard chickens can be.

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Feathery Freeloaders

This spring we hatched two rounds of eggs. I was all excited for the farm fresh eggs in our kitchen. Well it has been 9 months and I don’t have a single egg to show for all of my hard work. We got more roosters than we did hens. The cool weather and less daylight hit about the time they were old enough to start laying. So due to all of those unfortunate events, I’m still buying eggs. So we just pull around a chicken tractor of feathery freeloaders.

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Daily Chicken Chores

Refill feed and water.

Depending on the size of your feeder and water bucket, you may have to refill them daily. Ours are large enough to last a week. The exception is during the summer, when they need cool water at least once, if not twice, a day. We feed our chickens a mix from Scratch & Peck, plus kitchen scraps.

Gather eggs.

If your chickens are laying, *eye roll*, then you’ll need to collect them daily. This will prevent them from rotting in the nesting boxes.

Remove poop from nesting boxes.

In order to keep from washing eggs, you’ll need to keep the nesting boxes clean. Sometimes the birds poop in the boxes, scooping them out daily will keep your eggs from needing washed.

Move the chicken tractor.

For those with a mobile chicken tractor, you’ll need to move them daily. I must say this is by far the easiest way to keep chickens.

Weekly Chicken Chores

Replace the bedding.

The nesting boxes will need fresh bedding each week. You can use shavings, straw, or a washable mat. During the winter, they will appreciate extra bedding to help keep them warm.

Clean the run.

If you have a stationary coop, then you will need to rake the run. Make sure to remove any poop so that the birds stay healthy.

Scrub the water bucket.

During the summer this is a weekly chore because it gets slimy. During the cooler months, I can get away with up to a month. I use a regular dish brush and castile soap for the water bucket.

Monthly Chicken Chores

Scrub the coop.

Chickens are nasty creatures. I swear they will poop anywhere but over the wire floor. Get out the hose, a toilet brush, some dish soap, and a spray bottle of vinegar. I spray it all down with vinegar first. After a couple minutes, I come in with the hose and spray it all down. Then I use a toilet brush and some dish soap to scrub it all clean. To finish it off, I give it all a good rinse.

Prepare for the season.

During the winter, you’ll need to keep the chickens warm. For us, that means wrapping the tractor in plastic. In the summer, we add a suncloth and a fan. This chore won’t necessarily happen monthly, but I usually pair it with my monthly chicken chores.

Clean out the dust bath.

Chickens use dust to clean themselves, but they are also the world’s messiest creatures. Since you are cleaning the rest of the coop go ahead and clean and replenish their dust bath too.

Apply diatomaceous earth.

When the coop is all dry, sprinkle some diatomaceous earth in there to prevent pests and absorb moisture. It will also help control odors. Lime can be used instead, if you can not find diatomaceous earth.