Any tips for leaving others in charge of your flock?

[bawkbawkbawk]

I'm leaving town for a week; my four babies will be 7 weeks old at that point. My college-aged sons will be caring for them. They aren't very interested in the chickens but they're well aware of how important the girls are to me, so I know they'll do a good job.

Other than impressing upon them the importance of making sure there's fresh food and water at all times, keeping everything clean, and being absolutely sure to make sure all entrances/exits are secure at all times, is there anything else to put on the "chickensitting" list?

 

[basicliving]

I think you hit all the important stuff! The things you mentioned are (in my mind) the most critical - I would try to keep the instructions as simple as possible. If it gets too complicated, they are likely to forget half of them, or it will make something they aren't already excited to do even more dreadful. Know what I mean?

 

[Uppity Peon]

Ask them to take a little time to observe each one to make sure they are all eating and behaving normally. They can amuse themselves by feeding them breadcrumbs at the same time.

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Make sure you have an extra bag of feed incase it runs out while you are away.