# Working 3rd shift



## HerdQueen (Oct 15, 2012)

Well I have been waiting over 4 years for a 1st shift job. And waiting on 2nd shift has been really hard on the home front. So since there is no end in sight to getting a 1st shift position I am moving to 3rd. It seems as if 3rd would be even better then 1st for me. I could come home milk do chores go to bed and be up when the boys get home from school. Does anyone else work 3rd? How does it work for you?


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Wish I had an answer. You are working really hard.

I hope someone can chime in soon. :hug:


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

I worked graveyard for several yrs after children left home but at the time didnt have goats.
The pay was great but didnt get to spend much time with hubby.
Grson was living with us & that worked out fine. He wasnt in school yet.


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

Is third shift overnight shift? My mum is a nurse and mostly does those. I find it best for our family because she is home in time to take me to school and is awake in the evening to make dinner and spend time with us.


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## HerdQueen (Oct 15, 2012)

PiccoloGoat said:


> Is third shift overnight shift? My mum is a nurse and mostly does those. I find it best for our family because she is home in time to take me to school and is awake in the evening to make dinner and spend time with us.


Yep it's overnight. I'm also in nursing. And my kids are the reason for the change. I'm so tired of missing everything. Sounds like your mum's schedule is exactly what I want to acheive.


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## alliecat23 (Jan 25, 2013)

My husband and both work 3rd shift its really hard at first especially your days off... But you get used to it quickly!!


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

HerdQueen said:


> Yep it's overnight. I'm also in nursing. And my kids are the reason for the change. I'm so tired of missing everything. Sounds like your mum's schedule is exactly what I want to acheive.


The only bad thing is she isn't awake long during the day but she does sometimes stay awake later if there's something on. 
And if I get sick at night I just message her and she helps me over the phone (nurse mum benefits lol)


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## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

I used to work 3rd shift. It was tough having animals needing care. I would get home at the latest at 8am, would put bottles in warm water, go quick change clothes and grab something to eat. By that time my bottles were warm (lambs, kids, calves, whatever I had to feed at that time). I would feed babies first, then milk the girls, graining, water, and hay everyone else. Collect eggs, water the chickens, Rebed the nests with straw, feed the cats, clean the potty, let the dog back in. Feed/water. Then kennel. Cats got to be out while I slept. Usually they all crawl in bed with me. They have their own room and they are locked up when I work. By the time this was all done, I usually could put a meal into the crock, pick up a bit, and lay down. Asleep by 11/1130. Wake up at 6pm-7pm. Make a meal or eat what was in the crock. Head out to do chores again. Feed, milk. Come inside and relax for a couple hours. Leave by 1030. 

I'm on an easier schedule now:
Wake up 10am. 
Pick up the house, dog out. Take care of the cats, feed/water the dog. Take care of the three chick pens in the house. Feed, water, clean. 1/2cc IM to the two hospital chickens in the bathroom. Fix something to eat for the bf. Head outside to do chores. Feed, water, collect eggs. Check the does and their udders/ligs. Getting close!! Come back in, shower. Do whatever till 3:30pm. Dog kenneled, cats put away. Double check everyone and off I go. Work 4:30pm-12am/1230. Come home, shower, eat. Bed around 3/330. 

Plan to milk at 1 and 1. Does due to kid first week in March. Spaced every two weeks. Kids will be inside in a play pen besides the bed. Schedule will change once this happens. Once the does are in milk we'll be getting some pigs too to soak up the extra milk.

Busy busy! But it all falls into place, it really does.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I used to work 3rd shift years ago, it was part time, but back then I had to come home, get a couple of hours of sleep, get my oldest daughter up for school, then try to manage some kind of sleep with my son who was little and not in school at the time. Needless to say that was extremely difficult.
Now with my youngest daughter being 6, and in school, I could definitely swing it, but it would be hard, especially if I have to run any errands during the day, doctor appts, etc.

My husband works 3rd shift Jan-May, and then 1st May-Dec. He works with horses, so the first part of the year he works nights watching and foaling pregnant mares. He works 6 nights a week, 11hr. shifts and sleeps pretty much from 7am-2pm and seems okay with it, but definitely doesn't give him a whole lot of time home, since he has to be there at 7pm.
A regular, 8 hour/5 day a week 3rd shift would be good though, more time at home IMO.


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## JaLyn (Oct 10, 2012)

WOW I will never complain about being a housewife again EVER.. HOw doyou girls do it? I feel so bad for you all, it seems none of you have time but to go go go. God bless each and every one of you working women..


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

JaLyn said:


> WOW I will never complain about being a housewife again EVER.. HOw doyou girls do it? I feel so bad for you all, it seems none of you have time but to go go go. God bless each and every one of you working women..


I have been a stay at home mom for 6 years. The last job I had was the night job. I worked that shift for over 3 years, but I loved it honestly, I did night stocking at a grocery store, made good $$ doing it and since I was working nights, and back then my husband was on days only, we didn't have to send our kids to a babysitter <with the exception of 6mo he was in Mexico waiting to get his visa to come back to the US>.
The only reason I gave up the job was I was pregnant with our youngest daughter, under a lot of stress <lost my mom to lung cancer/congestive heart failure  >, and having more braxton hicks contractions than my doctor wanted, etc. etc. When I was about 6mo pregnant I ended up giving it up.

I actually had planned to go back to a job when my daughter started kindergarden, but haven't yet. I'd love to actually go back to work with horses, but it's just too demanding <6 days/48+ hour requirement>.


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## HerdQueen (Oct 15, 2012)

Third just seems to be the logical solution. I think I'm going to like it. There are a lot of perks to have third be my schedule. Money, life schedule, and I am really looking forward to hogging the bed to myself... I had contimplated going somewhere else to have a day schedule, but I work for the state of NH. I would be foolish to give up that. Plus I HATE mornings...


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I have worked graveyard for years in a healthcare position. 
I get home at 8 am. stoke the fires... Feed/water the goats,chickens,ducks,turkeys,cats, let the dogs out,feed water the dogs.Collect eggs.Medicate anyone who needs it...Take the blankets of my indoor birds, refresh food and water. This all takes about an hour and a half.
Give the kids assignments(homeschooled), stoke the fires again,remind the kids to keep the fires going~change and off to bed.
In bed around 10 am.....try to sleep. IF it's not too bright out, or phone ringing, or dogs barking....I hate that! I have dark curtains for my room...asleep by 11am or noon...up around 8pm.....husband makes dinner or the kids do (the youngest are 14 year old twins)They do dishes and laundry while I sleep too 
(Kids grain goats at 4pm when I am asleep and do a second egg check along with locking everyone in,watering the goats if needed and feeding dogs again....)
Eat,shower,check e-mail....leave for work at 10pm....do it again. Now when we are milking it will put me back a bit in the am but my daughter milks in the evening if I am asleep.

Here is what I hate about nights....it is almost impossible to ever go to bed at night on your nights off. You tend to be up all night even when you are not working.After awhile, the sunlight hurts your eyes.... :sun: You either stay up all night at work, then stay up when you get home too until you CRASH at 7pm, finally....or you take a nap and sleep all day then get mad because you slept all day when you were off......it can be hard to keep changing your sleep pattern. It messes you up when you have to go to an appointment during the day....
I love everything about nights except two things....sleep schedule, and lack of sunlight especially in winter time!

If I didn't have kids to help....I would have a really rough time!!When they were younger i didn't have the farm animals....now I only work 2 nights a week so it's a lot easier. I did work 5 nights a week before (and more) but you really get no time with your animals other than cleaning and routine care and such.

Oh, and hogging the king sized bed during the day is great


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