Life AND Fowl -- it it Possible?

[Dan23]

For a little more than a decade I raised (bought and hatched out) hundreds of chicken chicks and dozens of peafowl -- it was a fun hobby with plenty of opportunities to see the miracle of life taking place and see some really incredibly beautiful birds (pied peafowl, white peafowl, bronze peafowl, etc.). However, as most people who raise peafowl (and likely chickens) know, you almost never have enough pens . . ., but that's another story. My question is, peafowl and chickens seem to require daily care -- is there anyway around that? Christmas, Thanksgiving, vacations . . . finding someone to care for the fowl while I was away went from difficult to nearly impossible. And once I knew my daughter was going to be playing collegiate athletics and we'd be gone multiple weekends to watch her play, I just threw in the towel. I sold all my birds . . . now I will admit, these mornings where the windchill has been -20 or more, I have been MORE than thankful not having to get up at 3:30 in the morning to go feed, chip ice, water, and hope my fingers would regain their feeling. So, to continue my question, is there equipment out there that would allow me to have a life, where being home every day of the year isn't mandatory, but still have a flock? I was thinking about waiting until I retire, but it still doesn't solve the problem of if I go away for an extended time, how do I care for the birds (with "having a friend/neighbor do it for you" NOT being an option)? Any maybe it just means I don't get back into raising birds. Thoughts?

 

[BantyChooks]

First thing that pops to mind is a security camera pointed at automatic feeders and waterers combined with an automatic coop door. You can get a camera you can check from your phone for peace of mind that the feeders are working and full.
Fresh water will be the most difficult part for vacations longer than a few days. Let me see if I can find a neat YouTube video I saw of a self-refreshing waterer/hose combination.

 

[BantyChooks]

I didn’t watch the full thing but it looks interesting.

 

[Shadrach]

So, to continue my question, is there equipment out there that would allow me to have a life, where being home every day of the year isn't mandatory, but still have a flock?

There is, it's called lots of money. I'm not being facetious. It's a simple fact.
Essentially, you're a labourer with a heart I hope. Most of us who keep chickens are. Cut the heart out and employ labour is one solution; money again.
There is the semi feral free range option; cheaper on the money side but harder on the heart. You will need lots of space though; money again.
Feeding and watering can both be automated; money again.
Security in a very large run. It can be done but again it costs a lot of money to do properly.

 

[saysfaa]

There is another way around it, for certain circumstances. Seasonal chicken keeping.

If your daughter is in one sport, that happens to be a winter sport (assuming you live where you get winter 20 below, yep, winter), .. , you could get pullets or hens at the end of the sports season and keep them until the start of the season the next year.

Or, if it is the raising of young stock that you like, hatch eggs or get day old chicks at the end of one sports season....

Either will provide compost and bug control, if they are some of the chicken keeping goals for you.

Obviously, it won't fit the purpose if the breeding of your own strains is what you like.

Hm. Unless you are so lucky that you find someone who wants to keep chickens only in the opposite season. That seems unlikely, but stranger things have happened.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Definitely possible. I had huge feeders and waterers so they could be left days or maybe even a week but I never tested it for that long. But 2-3 days definitely. Though usually I did have someone checking in too but they didn’t need that necessarily. I made a waterer out of a 5 gallon bucket and horizontal poultry nipples. Now, how to heat in winter I’m not sure. I had a heated dog bowl too that held maybe 1.5 gallons but that wouldn’t last too long alone. I think you could put a heater inside the bucket waterer.

 

[Bkaye]

Definitely possible. I had huge feeders and waterers so they could be left days or maybe even a week but I never tested it for that long. But 2-3 days definitely. Though usually I did have someone checking in too but they didn’t need that necessarily. I made a waterer out of a 5 gallon bucket and horizontal poultry nipples. Now, how to heat in winter I’m not sure. I had a heated dog bowl too that held maybe 1.5 gallons but that wouldn’t last too long alone. I think you could put a heater inside the bucket waterer.

This is what we do. I’ve notched the top of my bucket and have stock heaters in my 5 gal buckets. I’ve also made a feeder out of one of the big dog storage containers and have 6 elbows on it. It’ll hold 25lbs of food and will last a week. My water will only last 3-4 days but I’ve seen ways of making them into auto waters by putting a float system in it, just haven’t done it yet.

 

[ShrekDawg]

This is what we do. I’ve notched the top of my bucket and have stock heaters in my 5 gal buckets. I’ve also made a feeder out of one of the big dog storage containers and have 6 elbows on it. It’ll hold 25lbs of food and will last a week. My water will only last 3-4 days but I’ve seen ways of making them into auto waters by putting a float system in it, just haven’t done it yet.

That’s awesome!!

 

[SueT]

For years, hubby and I took turns going out of town, which always was to visit family members. Now, all our parents are gone, and we’re the old folks. One daughter has come to live w us. So, theoretically, we can go wherever we want, together, and leave her in charge of the chickens, (and the cats too.)
Funny thing is, in the 4 years she has been here, we haven’t felt like going anywhere. The other kids have come to visit us here on the farm. My siblings have come to visit too.
Anyway, thank goodness for BYC, to help keep us sane and inspired over the years….

 

[rosemarythyme]

For years, hubby and I took turns going out of town, which always was to visit family members.

This is how we usually handle it too. Plus we have a small flock, so much easier to accommodate food and water needs when it's a smaller amount. We took out first vacation together in 7, 8 years in 2022... dunno when we'll take the next one.