What Is the Time Commitment for Owning Backyard Chickens?

Just like any other animal, chickens are a commitment. Raising backyard chickens, however, is far less time consuming than most pets. Having a few hens in your backyard is actually pretty easy, and takes approximately 30 minutes – 1 hour per day.
 

Here are an average day’s tasks: 

In the morning you need to feed them, fill their waterers, let them out if they are free range, and gather the eggs. This takes about 15-30 minutes.  

In the evening, around dusk, make sure all of the chickens are back in their coop, and lock the door to protect them from predators. This takes about 15 minutes.  

Every few days, but at least once a week, you should maintain the coop. This means cleaning the feces and changing the bedding.  Depending on the size of your coop and flock, this can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. 

This is the minimum amount of time you will need to spend caring for your backyard chickens.  However, any other time you spend with the chickens (and you will want to, because they are great pets) is beneficial.  If you feed them treats, hold them, and bond with them, they will be much more friendly and easier to raise. 

The average chicken lives at least 4 years, and some breeds live for 10 years. This responsibility shouldn’t be taken lightly, but rest assured you will not regret a minute of it!