Top Tips for Keeping Chickens if You Are at Work All Day

When no one is at home all day, we are always disturbed by the thought that a dog or cat left at home is not receiving proper attention and care. We are also concerned about chickens, albeit to a lesser extent. Breeding poultry is really easy once you get the hang of it, and 5 or 6 laying hens will be able to provide your family with plenty of fresh eggs.

Many people ask me to share the secrets of successful chicken breeding, provided that everyone who can do the housework is at work or at school. I thought this was a really very interesting topic that I hadn't talked about before. So, let's begin.

My recommendations for keeping chickens if you are not at home

Naturally, your chickens, like any poultry, need in the chicken coopin which they will sleep at night. Since you will not be at home, you will also need a secure indoor aviary where the chickens will be during the day. The fenced-in area will not only protect them from predators (dogs, foxes, raccoons, weasels, hawks, eagles and owls), but also prevent chickens from going out on the road, getting into the neighboring garden or staining your porch with droppings. Read about: breeding guinea fowl in the country!

Chicken coop requirements:

1. Presence of an anti-predator door latch (such as a hook, latch with carabiner, key or padlock).
2. Good ventilation. All windows and openings should be covered with ½ ”wire mesh.
3. One chicken should have at least 3-4 square meters. feet of area.
4. Each bird needs 8 inches of roost space.
5. One nest can contain 3-4 chickens.

Aviary requirements:

1. Presence of a door latch against predators.
2. 1 "or ½" mesh welded wire fence or fine wire mesh attached to the fence posts.
3. The fence must be dug into the ground at least a foot.
4. It is better to make the roof of the aviary solid, or from welded wire.

Schedule

Chickens are adapted to a consistent daily routine. You should open the chicken coop every morning and release them to the aviary at the same time. The best time to do this is at sunrise. However, if you need to leave for work before dawn, you can open the doors earlier, the chickens will go out on their own when daylight dawns. However, the aviary must be impervious to predators. At sunset, the birds will go to the chicken coop on their own and jump onto the roost for the night. Soon after that, the door must be locked.

If your work schedule does not allow you to be at home at a time when the sun goes down and rises, installing an automatic door at the entrance to the chicken coop is a good solution. There are several types of them - some run on electricity or batteries, there are even options for powering from a solar panel. The doors are configured to open and close at the required time interval. They keep the pets safe and secure the chicken coop.

After opening the chicken coop, you need to feed the birds. You can either measure out the correct amount of food every morning, or purchase a large feeder in which food can be stored for many days. Chickens will not eat more than necessary, as dogs do.It takes about half a cup of food per day, however, you can prepare a large feeder on weekends when you have free time. This will provide the entire group with food for the week ahead. Each chicken will eat exactly as much as needed.

The same applies to drinkers. Chickens, like all living things, require constant access to water. Just fill your drinking bowl with water on weekends when you're in no rush. For a small flock, it will last for several days. But keep in mind that birds need more fluid in hot weather. If on such days you plan to be absent until the evening, take care of installing several sources of water. This is a good solution in case one of drinkers for chickens will be knocked over or stained with droppings.

With practice, opening the enclosure, feeding and drinking will take only a few minutes. As well as collecting eggs in the evening, followed by locking the doors at night, it will take very little time. On weekends, you can remove the chicken coop and update the nest boxes. Be sure to also fill your feeder and drinker before leaving. A trip to the store for food should also be included in the weekend program.

So, taking care of a small flock of chickens does not take a lot of time. When you come home from work or school, you can relax with your family as you watch the chickens roam the yard and enjoy the hassle-free hours before bed. When you need to go away for a few days or on vacation, you can ask neighbors to take care of your pets in exchange for a basket of fresh eggs. It is one of the most important foods in the kitchen and has no equal in protein. The taste of homemade eggs cannot be overemphasized, so this is a great way to thank your friends for helping you out while you are away.

Keeping chickens in winter and increasing egg production - video