- Mar 25, 2009
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So I'll be away for two nights around the holidays. I unfortunately don't have anyone who I can ask to take care of the chickens in situ due to the fact that my normal cat-sitter has a bad back and I don't want to ask her to deal with the chicken house, as strangely constructed as it is, so I'm looking for a contingency plan. My folks also won't be able to take care of them for various reasons. I don't know anyone else in the area to ask.
My thought is to cage them in the garage for the two nights. Rooster would go in a small cat carrier (which will make him rather unhappy and uncomfortable, but I'm not sure what else to do for him) and the hens would be split into two groups of three and go into large dog cages. This will allow my cat-sitter to be able to handle them without difficulty and should keep them in warmer quarters and without either the danger of frostbite or going without water due to it freezing.
If it weren't December I'd just leave them in the coop with lots of water and food for the three days and forget it, but since I'd fully expect frozen water and likely a badly (worse that he's already been) frostbitten rooster from the extra moisture from un-scooped-poop and the waterer and busted eggs from the hens panicking and sleeping in the nesting box due to poor light, I don't think that's wise.
So what sort of issues am I looking at here? The cages are smaller than ideal and will only give each hen 2 sq ft of space. The garage is secure, so the only critters I think should be an issue would be mice. I expect some picking/stress behaviors -- that's one reason Rooster gets his own cage, he's too big an idiot to squeeze in with anyone else (emphasis on big). Am I going to have reintegration problems after only three days? I expect it to be rather smelly by the time I get back, but I can live with that; garages can be cleaned.
And can you tell I'm on cough medicine? I've never been so wired in my life. Posting on BYC at midnight
My thought is to cage them in the garage for the two nights. Rooster would go in a small cat carrier (which will make him rather unhappy and uncomfortable, but I'm not sure what else to do for him) and the hens would be split into two groups of three and go into large dog cages. This will allow my cat-sitter to be able to handle them without difficulty and should keep them in warmer quarters and without either the danger of frostbite or going without water due to it freezing.
If it weren't December I'd just leave them in the coop with lots of water and food for the three days and forget it, but since I'd fully expect frozen water and likely a badly (worse that he's already been) frostbitten rooster from the extra moisture from un-scooped-poop and the waterer and busted eggs from the hens panicking and sleeping in the nesting box due to poor light, I don't think that's wise.
So what sort of issues am I looking at here? The cages are smaller than ideal and will only give each hen 2 sq ft of space. The garage is secure, so the only critters I think should be an issue would be mice. I expect some picking/stress behaviors -- that's one reason Rooster gets his own cage, he's too big an idiot to squeeze in with anyone else (emphasis on big). Am I going to have reintegration problems after only three days? I expect it to be rather smelly by the time I get back, but I can live with that; garages can be cleaned.
And can you tell I'm on cough medicine? I've never been so wired in my life. Posting on BYC at midnight
