# Early Birds



## Wigwam7 (Mar 29, 2017)

I've done my large share of research on chickens. 
Like, a LOT of research. *Months*, even, but there's one thing that I still haven't planned/figured out.

LETTING THE CHICKENS OUT IN THE MORNING.
I am NOT a morning person. I love sleeping in. Usually till *9:00 or 10:00. *
My brother is a different story. He gets up from *7:00 - 9:00* on weekends (or breaks from school).

I've checked out automatic coop doors. Too expensive!
I've asked my parents and my brother about letting chickens out in the morning. We are going to have a pulley/string door, and I told my mom/dad that all they would have to do is pull a string when they wake up.

Both my parents wake up pretty early, even on weekends.

This is very concerning to me. Any ideas? 
My dad suggested my brother (who is a mini engineer) make a system where we can click a button on a remote and open the door. 
WHAT?! Where does he think we're from? 2500?

I don't know. I'm in a bad situation. Somebody help ;-;


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## nannypattyrn (Aug 23, 2015)

Our place has woods on 3 sides. I never let mine out until around 9 or so, that way, hopefully, the predators have gone to their places. Or, you could set an alarm clock....


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

Wigwam, unless you get an automatic door, guess what? You'll be getting up at 6am every morning just before sunrise to let your chickens out for the day. Just think, it'll prepare you when you come of age when it's time for you to get a job. You can thank your chickens for prepping you for your future.
The good news is that they go to roost just before dark. Plenty of time for you to get ready for a good nights sleep. 

I get up even earlier than 6am EVERY morning and I'm an old guy. If I can do it, you can do it!


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## Wigwam7 (Mar 29, 2017)

nannypattyrn said:


> Our place has woods on 3 sides. I never let mine out until around 9 or so, that way, hopefully, the predators have gone to their places. Or, you could set an alarm clock....


Oh, that's nice to hear. The coop the chickens will be in is suited to sleep up to 10 of them, and there will only be 4 in there. Do you think they will mind being let out around 8:30 or 9:00? 
They will have quite a bit of space to stay in.


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## Wigwam7 (Mar 29, 2017)

dawg53 said:


> Wigwam, unless you get an automatic door, guess what? You'll be getting up at 6am every morning just before sunrise to let your chickens out for the day. Just think, it'll prepare you when you come of age when it's time for you to get a job. You can thank your chickens for prepping you for your future.
> The good news is that they go to roost just before dark. Plenty of time for you to get ready for a good nights sleep.
> 
> I get up even earlier than 6am EVERY morning and I'm an old guy. If I can do it, you can do it!


We will probably eventually get an automatic coop door to make things easier, but our coop has a lot of space for 4 chickens to roam around in - the coop itself is suited to sleep up to 10 chickens. Maybe they can stay in there until 9:00? My brother is certainly up by then.
And on school mornings they will be out of there by 7:00.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

Your chickens will be fine until 9 or 10.Maybe during the hottest part of the summer,I would try to let them out a little earlier because of the heat,it gets really hot with lots of hot bodies and extreme heat will kill chickens.It's best to wait until an hour after sunrise to make sure most nighttime predators are gone for the day.Provide food and water(which will draw rodents!!!)in the coop.They are locked up for 12 hours or more and shouldn't go that long without water.That being said,you are getting a rude wake-up in the lessons of responsibility.You wanted chickens and they are your responsibility.You will have to let them out and tuck them in everyday.You will have to feed and water them.You will have to clean their coop and collect eggs,trim poopy butts,give worm medicine and spray for bugs and control rodent populations wanting to live with your chickens.If you do it right,keeping chickens isn't fun and games.It's a lot of work but you are rewarded with healthy,beautiful,loving chickens that provide your family with nutritious eggs and endless entertainment.Welcome to the wonderful world of chickens!!!


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## Wigwam7 (Mar 29, 2017)

chickenqueen said:


> Your chickens will be fine until 9 or 10.Maybe during the hottest part of the summer,I would try to let them out a little earlier because of the heat,it gets really hot with lots of hot bodies and extreme heat will kill chickens.It's best to wait until an hour after sunrise to make sure most nighttime predators are gone for the day.Provide food and water(which will draw rodents!!!)in the coop.They are locked up for 12 hours or more and shouldn't go that long without water.That being said,you are getting a rude wake-up in the lessons of responsibility.You wanted chickens and they are your responsibility.You will have to let them out and tuck them in everyday.You will have to feed and water them.You will have to clean their coop and collect eggs,trim poopy butts,give worm medicine and spray for bugs and control rodent populations wanting to live with your chickens.If you do it right,keeping chickens isn't fun and games.It's a lot of work but you are rewarded with healthy,beautiful,loving chickens that provide your family with nutritious eggs and endless entertainment.Welcome to the wonderful world of chickens!!!


Thank you so much! I was already planning to provide food and water in the coop at all times anyway, regardless of being let out late or early. And yes, I understand about the summer thing. I was going to let them out around 8:00 in the summer, before it gets too hot. We are going to have good ventilation in the coop and it is going to be in a shady spot; it gets pretty hot in South Carolina during the summer  .

I've done all the research and I understand all the responsibilites of chickens, and I have no problem with them. 
For some reason, I'm not grossed out by poopy butts or mites or anything like that. I don't mind.

I also have a strange thing going on - for some reason I feel it is my responsibility to watch out for the chicks at Tractor Supply. They always have a HUGE case of pasty butt and I feel sorry for them. Every time I go to Tractor Supply, I run to the chicks and check on them. I feel that I have to inform the workers there when the chicks are having problems. I don't know what's wrong with me XD

Thanks for the advice.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Wigwam, I've done 2 types of auto doors. Both were too tempermental and I would find the door was open all night or closed late in the morning. I gave up. If you're going to try, try with the little one that you make your own door for and need a timer. The expensive door never even made it to 20 days straight without a problem.

I worked nights for years and couldn't lock them up at 6pm when it was 90 degrees, and slept till 11 or 12 in the morning. I finally built a pen on the coop that was predator proof, and they could be out whenever they wanted. That solved the problem. I have 3 other pens with no coop just a Rubbermaid trunk on it's side for egg nests. I just go in the morning and have cords tied to buckets that cover the food at night and you can raise them or lower them from outside the pen. The pens are covered and it doesn't get really cold in Florida, but it sure gets hot. So they're better off outside anyway.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

I've had chickens for 16 years and every morning I have to let them out.I've never even considered an automatic door.Too many things could go wrong,especially not closing at night.Besides,I like to see that everybody is ok and ready for a new day.


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## Wigwam7 (Mar 29, 2017)

seminolewind said:


> Wigwam, I've done 2 types of auto doors. Both were too tempermental and I would find the door was open all night or closed late in the morning. I gave up. If you're going to try, try with the little one that you make your own door for and need a timer. The expensive door never even made it to 20 days straight without a problem.
> 
> I worked nights for years and couldn't lock them up at 6pm when it was 90 degrees, and slept till 11 or 12 in the morning. I finally built a pen on the coop that was predator proof, and they could be out whenever they wanted. That solved the problem. I have 3 other pens with no coop just a Rubbermaid trunk on it's side for egg nests. I just go in the morning and have cords tied to buckets that cover the food at night and you can raise them or lower them from outside the pen. The pens are covered and it doesn't get really cold in Florida, but it sure gets hot. So they're better off outside anyway.


Wow! Thank you for that advice. It sure gets pretty heated up in South Carolina, too! I'll make sure to keep that in mind.


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## Wigwam7 (Mar 29, 2017)

chickenqueen said:


> I've had chickens for 16 years and every morning I have to let them out.I've never even considered an automatic door.Too many things could go wrong,especially not closing at night.Besides,I like to see that everybody is ok and ready for a new day.


Yeah, I've pretty much turned away the automatic coop door idea now. I'd rather let the chickens out myself than let some system do it for me. Plus, that's part of keeping chickens after all! Letting them out is fun to watch, and you get to check on them like you mentioned.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

My chickens are the reason I get out of bed every morning.I could sleep until noon if I wanted but I don't.I figure I can sleep when I'm dead.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Well Wigwam, I just don't trust the auto doors anymore. They are just too sensitive to whatever can go wrong . I love my pens. I don't have to worry about in, out, shelter (tarps), hot, cold. Just my one group that free ranges will be in their pen for a day or two if I go away. I have 4 enclosed pens. I find that silkies and Polish do better in a large pen than out wandering around. My silkie mans go into a coop with an open area underneath if I go away.


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