This is a description of how I take care of the animals. Some things have lots of detail, others don’t. Not all of the details are important. The important thing is for the animals to have enough food and water. They’ll let you know if you don’t give them enough.
Sunup
- Water the beef.
- Water the chickens.
- Water the cats.
- Feed the cows.
- Feed the cats.
- Feed the chickens.
- Open the chicken houses.
- Feed the dog (when she gets up).
12:00 PM
- Check for eggs.
3:00 PM
- Water the beef.
- Feed the beef.
- Water the chickens.
- Feed the chickens.
- Check for eggs.
- Feed the dog (when she gets annoying in the afternoon).
Sunset
- Check for eggs.
- Shut the chicken houses.
Water
The hose is stored in the bonus room. It is two short green hoses connected. One of the hoses is cut off. We use a gray plastic tub to keep water off the floor. We typically bring the hose in after each use, except during the day when the temperature is above freezing.
For the beeves, the hose will reach from the hydrant to the stock tank.
For the chickens, the easiest way to fill up the water containers is to flip them upside down in a bucket near the hydrant, stick the hose in the unplugged hole, and fill until water starts spilling. When you flip it back over, be careful not to twist it (which makes the two parts come apart) or drop it (which can shatter the base). When you take the water out to the chickens, make sure you plug it back in.
For the cats (and the three old chickens), fill up the green heated pet dish. The dish is between the hydrant and the garage.
Feed the beef
We store hay in the loft in the red barn. When you go up there, watch your step. There are bad spots in the floor. No one has fallen through yet, but we don’t want you to be the first!
Cut open a bale, and drop it down the chute.
Feed the chickens
The chicken feed is stored in blue bags near the center of the garage (between the cars). Open bags are either there, or near the door.
My favorite way to feed the chickens is to fill a bucket (there’s usually a black one in the garage near the cat food), and carry the bucket out to their feeder. Obviously, you can also bring the feeder up to the garage and fill it there.
When snow covers the ground, starlings eat a lot of chicken food. The starlings are mostly around in the morning. So, when the starlings are around and eating food, you should feed the chickens about 1/3 of a feeder-full of food in the morning, and then another 1/2 feeder-full in the afternoon.
When the starlings aren't around, you can just top off the feeder once in the morning.
The "grown-up" chickens have a feeder in their house, and it only needs to be filled once a week or so.
Feed the cats
The cat food is stored in a metal can near the door.
The cat food is distributed between bowls in two places. One set of bowls is near the top of the ladder in the loft of the red barn. The other container is a green plant pot saucer located on the duct between the furnace and the house. (The furnace is outside, at the east end of the south side of the house.)
We keep an aluminum, one liter scoop near the food. We also keep an old plastic milk jug in the can with the food. Scoop one heaping scoop (1.5 - 2.0 liters) into the old plastic milk jug, and distribute it to the dishes listed above.
Feed the dog
The dog food is stored in a metal can in the bonus room. A 1/2 cup scoop is stored on a hook by the front door.
Feed the dog 1/2 cup in the morning and 1/2 cup in the early evening.