Home Alone Chickens Problem

[DreamingForBirds]

Hey! So my family and I have been dreaming about getting some chickens for a while now. We raised some a couple years ago but gave them to a friend once we moved. We are ready and would love to have chickens, but we have one problem. We planned camping trips in the summer, almost every other weekend. So if we had chickens we would leave them alone a lot, I'm worried about food and water running out, coyotes etc. This is the only reason why we can't have chickens. Is any solution to this, besides not going camping? Sorry if I am asking an impossible question :|
AH! I feel so new :/

 

[Elly LaPerriere]

Following to see what people say!
I know that if you keep them in a chicken tractor there wouldn't be the twice daily opening/closing the coop door. I've seen buckets outside attached to chicken nipples inside the coop/tractor, fill them with water, that'll last them awhile, how long I'm not sure. And also I've seen people fill up PVC pipes with feed, attach an elbow at the end and that'll feed them for awhile.
I'm wondering the same, too, as we go on little vacations quite often. Don't know how long those would last.

 

[Isadora]

There's always the option do have a friend stop over and check on them or hire someone.
But like the above poster said, there are large gravity feeders or large watering systems that can hold chickens over for several days. Personally I would still like someone to stop by and check on them, even if feeding him water is not necessary, just because things happen.

 

[azygous]

It's good you're considering this issue before you get chickens. It's a dilemma that plagues chicken keepers everywhere.

Except for leaving chickens home alone for a few hours while you need to do errands or have a social gathering with friends, it's always a good idea to have someone at least check on your chickens if you'll be gone all day or several days. A couple years ago, I was needing to be gone all day due to medical procedures I had to have, and a neighbor was stopping by to check on my chickens. Luckily, she walked into the run just as a hen got her foot caught in a metal brace on a perch and had flipped upside down. The hen probably would have died if she hadn't walked in when she did.

My neighbor has moved away, and now I am cultivating some new neighbors who are interested in starting flocks. I've brought up the concept of us all cooperating and being able to look in on each other's flocks when we need to be away. So, I would suggest that you do something similar. Ask around the neighborhood and see who is eager to be of help in exchange for eggs.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

I know people that camp and they and I use feeders like this

which last more then a week depending on how many birds you have and if the pen is well made no need to close them up I also use 5 gallon buckets for water last weeks

 

[swamphiker]

In addition to the feeder solutions, an automatic coop door has been a game-changer for us. It means that when we leave town, a friend just needs to stop by in the evening to double-check that everyone made it in the coop and the door closed behind them. This makes it a very easy ask for friends/neighbors and has worked very well for our small urban flock since we have a fenced yard and the chickens are generally pretty good about staying in their generously-sized run. With our current setup, the feeder/waterer only need filling around once a week

 

[Elly LaPerriere]

In addition to the feeder solutions, an automatic coop door has been a game-changer for us. It means that when we leave town, a friend just needs to stop by in the evening to double-check that everyone made it in the coop and the door closed behind them. This makes it a very easy ask for friends/neighbors and has worked very well for our small urban flock since we have a fenced yard and the chickens are generally pretty good about staying in their generously-sized run. With our current setup, the feeder/waterer only need filling around once a week

Or if you have a tractor, there's not even the need for an automatic door. My aunt rigged one up for her chickens using light sensitive things (sorry I don't remember the wording) and that works well for her Chicksaw-style coop.

 

[DreamingForBirds]

Thanks so much! This is so helpful!