Selfsufficientish.com

I got my chickens last February, and having read that the more sunlight they get, the more they lay I set my alarm for sunrise. Not bad in winter, and in summer I went back to bed for a couple more hours, but in spring and autumn, I couldn't get any more sleep and find it all a bit tiring. I'm not a morning person, and when it first started to take it's toll I asked on this thread and people basically told me there were no more sleep-ins for me. Now I don't know if they were pulling my leg or what, but I've stuck to that. And I'm knackered. Now it's winter again and things aren't so bad, but when the light starts to return, I'm thinking I might change things so that I am more in charge of when the Chuckle Sisters start their day. So I'm wondering, what time do you get up to see to your animals? (no leg-pulling please )

Unless its really hot they get up when i do, which unfortunately is pretty early thanks to the kids, but I have read that if you free ranging them its quite good to keep them in until they have there first lay, but I have never thought that sounded right, myself

Well I'm nearly always up before daylight, so I don't get up to let out the chickens! Apart from a brief period mid summer when it is light at 6am that is. Then they jolly wait until I'm ready to let them out.

I don't let them out the moment it is light - right now it is starting to get light about 8am but I don't let them out until about 9am. Mid summer it will be light at 6am and I let them out about 8am. They can wait! I don't think you should be losing sleep over it but do make sure there is food and water in there if they are going to be awake and waiting to be let out for several hours.

You used to be able to buy,and with a with a bit of inginuity and a cooking timer or similar could probably make,a door that automatically opened,but I'm withMMM here,let them wait a bit.Except for 1 old barren sow I cant bring myself to take to the abbattoir,this place has no livestock now apart from the goats,its almost as if we'd had foot and mouth (god forbid)Ihate it,but I still get up with the light,before 5 in the summer,It used to be that I got an hour to myself,recently Ted (4) has decided to join me and show me just how crap kids TV is!

I'm lucky as we have no foxes in NZ so my chickens are in a huge area and sleep up a tree ( by choice, they do have a lovely house) so they get up when they get up. I get up at 6am and in the summer they're up before me, but not in winter. I feed them when I get up, and the dogs and the ducks and do my wander round the garden, check on the moos etc. I reckon it takes me about an hour every morning to do my rounds!

I let our girls out about 8ish. I put fresh food and water in before I go to bed at night. I always let them out at this time, my first farm manager taught me to let them after 8 as most will hav layed by then. This is true for my girls in the summer but they seem to lay abit later now its winter. X

My animals have usually gone to school by the time I crawl out of my pit!
Seriously tho the chickens tend to go with the day light so at the moment they aren't really up before 8am and even then they just wander out of the open pop home and into their run by themselves. Later on OH goes out to let them out of the run. However, we do have an old lady chicken in the house ATM who seems to be turning into a bit of a night owl and sleeps late in the morning!

Our 4 get out when we let them out and that is between 6.30 and 9.00 all year round. I get up at 6am and walk/run the dog for half an hour. If it is still dark when I get back like now I leave them for my wife to let out later which may be after dropping my daughter off at school. In the lighter mornings I will let them out earlier but if they don't get out they are fine.

Don't let them dictate - they will be fine so long as you let them out before their coup gets too hot

Rosendula wrote: Now it's winter again and things aren't so bad,

Winter? Excuse me for talking daft What I meant was "now it gets light late".

Thank you for all your replies. As I read them I realised the difference between me and a lot of you people is that many of you who let your chickens out early are up at that time anyway, either because you're early risers, or because you have to get up for other reasons. I think I may have been feeling sorry for myself for 'having' to get up for the chickens, when I have no other reason to set my alarm. I should look at it from the other angle - I had no reason to set the alarm until I chose to get chickens. When I look at it that way, I have to admit I feel very lucky. And besides, after I have let the ladies out I can loll about on the settee for an hour while I wake up properly. With no-one else around, it's lovely and peaceful. So it's about time I stopped whinging and got on with the life I have chosen

But you are right, of course. In summer when it gets light early, perhaps it would be better to leave the pop hole open and leave some food and water in their 'inner' run, and let them out into the larger run when I am ready. The problem is that when I wake up a bit late, the white one shouts so loudly from inside the coop that I can hear her in my house, and I worry that they are disturbing the neighbours. I hope that during the dark months she will get out of that habbit. And I suppose if she doesn't, I can always eat her

My daughter got chickens a month ago and she is knackered as well She cant go back to sleep once up and is very tired at the best of times with a big family. It could take all the enjoyment out of chickens I think. I have a husband who gets up at half 6 every day even in retirement but myself, am not a morning person at all. Worked nights forever and loved it

Sorry but I'm not going to be of help either as during the week I get up at 6 am to get the wife's breakfast and bait done so the chickens and rabbits get sorted then wether it's light or not. The hatch is opened and they either come out of the coup or not it's up to them. The rabbits just lie there eating. During the weekends if I sleep in it's still only about 7.30 to 8 ish but in summer at the weekend then tough on the birds.

If it becomes a REALLY big problem for you then it might be worth looking at an automatic poop hole opener. Yes these are £100 or so but how much is it costing you without good sleep? Also if you know of someonew who is handy with a few tools and instruction then maybe they can make one for you.

Sorry not much help.

Big Al wrote: If it becomes a REALLY big problem for you then it might be worth looking at an automatic poop hole opener. ....

Sorry not much help.

I really shouldn't laugh at typos, but I think you mean an automatic pop hole opener...
and a laugh like that always helps, Al.

Well I can make you feel better. I am as lazy as they come - some weekends I am lucky to see 11am, if it has been a particuarly horrendous week at work and I have sleep to catch up on.

However, we did invest in an automatic poop hole opener, so my chooks are out as soon as it gets light. I am not sure I agree with the theory that this leads to an increase in eggs though, we have 10 hens and yesterday, as I salivated at the thought of a sunday fry-up, there was not one frigging egg! In fact we are lucky to get two a day at the moment.

The door opener was the best £100 I have ever spent though. I just couldn't have an animal which forced me to be prised prematurely from my pit, especially on weekends. That was the good thing with pigs, we just made sure they ate in the evening and had plenty of water, and didn't feel pressured to get up early.

Especially because they usually got up later than we did!

Sorry if this has already been mentioned(strapped for time right now)but the lady we brought out chooks from had an automatic door opener thingy set by a timer!!!!!Apparently she brought it off Ebay and it costs............about £100!!!!!!So I guess it all depends on how much you like your lay ins!

I suppose it depends on how much space they have in the hen house. Mine are in a large shed so they have plenty of space and, sadly, they stay inside now all week. I'm usually up at 5.30 but can't let them out in the dark and I daren't leave them out after it gets dark (too many foxes, even with the outside run, they wouldn't be safe). So it means that they stay indoors, with plenty of bedding (grass and leaf mulch) food, water and the light on from Monday to Friday.

Zoe