There are actually hatcheries from which you can order chicks to be delivered LIVE through the USPS. Up until now, I bought chicks at a feed store, incubated eggs and hatched them, and just ordered chicks and two goslings from Ideal Poultry which arrived alive and adorable.
When you have chicks in the brooder, you can't go away, really, as they foul their water and feed and you have to keep them with fresh water and feed all the time. No way to just leave it for them, as they can tip over their waterers... plus chicks do dumb things and need someone to check on them several times a day (if in brooders and not with a mother hen outside).
Adult flock members need to be checked on at least once a day, to make sure they have fresh water and feed. Or that they have not done some stupid chicken thing and gotten caught in the fencing and can't get themselves loose; sometimes they panic and die there.
But the rewards of owning chickens are worth it. At least in my - and many others' - opinion.
There are "long term" watering systems and feeders, but those are really for adult birds. Chicks are like any babies, needing frequent attention.
