Now that I’ve had my chickens in the backyard for almost a year and the girls seem to be happy and satisfied enough, here’s my chicken care routine that has resulted from one year of trial and error, experiencing and learning:

Daily:

Refill and distribute grain feed / give them some salad or other greeneries / clean nesting boxes / collect eggs and compliment beautiful chickens for their hard work.

Every two days:

Clean and refill water dispensers. Add vitamins if applicable.

Weekly:

Rake and clean the den (remove all “residues”). Clean and refill chicken shelter with straw and wood shavings as necessary. Check for mites.

Monthly:

Renew all litter (according to dirtiness). If necessary (mites), dust shelter with diatomaceous earth and treat all cracks with ballistol oil. Coat perches with a thin layer of vegetable oil.

Adds up to no more than ~15 min. a day and an additional ~30 min. once a week. Download the checklist here.