Chicken care calendar
Every day: food, water, eggs, a look over the hens and closing the coop at dusk. Every week: scoop under the roost, refresh nest boxes, scrub the waterer and check the fence. Every month: a full coop cleanout and a check of latches and hardware cloth. Fall and winter add the molt and frozen water.
Once your flock is settled, these are the jobs to keep up with.
Every day
- Check food and water, and top them up.
- Collect eggs.
- Look over your hens. If one is listless, fluffed up or not eating, separate her and call a vet.
- Close the coop at dusk, or check that the automatic door closed.
Every week
- Scoop droppings from under the roost.
- Refresh the nest box bedding.
- Scrub the waterer and feeder.
- Walk the run fence and look for digging or gaps.
Every month
- Clean out the coop and put down fresh bedding.
- Check latches, hinges and hardware cloth for wear.
- Check your feed. Extension services advise using feed within one to three months, so buy what you'll use in that time.
Through the year
Spring
- Laying picks up as the days get longer.
- Adding birds? Keep new birds apart for 30 days before they join your flock, as USDA advises.
Summer
- Give your hens shade and plenty of water.
- A hen that is panting is too hot. Move her to shade and make sure she has water.
Fall
- Expect a molt. Hens lose and regrow feathers, and usually stop laying for about 6 to 8 weeks. It's normal.
- Set up a heated waterer or base before the first freeze, with a safe, outdoor-rated outlet.
- Check ventilation. Damp bedding and a poorly ventilated coop make frostbite more likely.
Winter
- Check that the water hasn't frozen.
- Laying slows or stops as the days get short. That's normal too.
- Most flocks don't need a heater. Here's when one makes sense.
- Watch combs on very cold nights. Frostbitten tips turn gray or off-color, then black.
Bird flu rules change often. If there's an outbreak near you, your state may pause poultry shows and swaps. Check your state agriculture department's page.
Sources
- Alabama Extension: feeding the laying hen (feed freshness)
- Penn State Extension: laying flocks (day length and laying)
- UNH Extension: producing your own eggs (molting)
- Poultry Extension: frostbite in chickens
- USDA APHIS: biosecurity (30-day quarantine)
Questions people ask
How often should I clean the chicken coop?
Scoop droppings from under the roost every week, and clean out the coop and put down fresh bedding about once a month.
Why did my hens stop laying in the fall?
Most likely the molt or shorter days. In the molt, hens usually stop laying for about 6 to 8 weeks while they regrow feathers. Both are normal.
How long does chicken feed stay fresh?
Extension services advise using feed within one to three months of buying it.