How do you handle taking a family vacation??

[UrbanFarmerGirl]

Usually my chickens are free to range the yard, and I lock the coop up once they've gone to bed at night, and let them out every morning. If I leave for a three day weekend or less, I leave them to range the yard, doors to run and coop open, with extra food and water. I have a hanging feeder and large metal waterer. If I am gone for a few weeks, I leave them contained in to run, and leave the coop door open inside of the run. I have someone come by every other day to collect eggs, and check food and water. I would rather give them a bit of extra freedom and potentially lose a bit of food to mice than leave them locked in the coop for weeks, and I can't afford to pay someone to come in the morning and unlock the coop, and then come at night and lock it up again. We generally don't have a problem with racoons or other things that would try to get into the coop. So far, so good.

 

[LiLRedCV]

Chickens don't need attention every single day in most cases, so unless the dogs left at home too we just have someone come over every other day or every third day to check on things for us. [If the dogs at home, we have someone stop by a couple of times a day!] We have large feeders and waterers for such occasions... Fill them to capacity and the sitter tops them off as needed. We also give them permission to take whatever eggs they find. Our girls free-range it during the day, so we just leave the coop door open for them while we're gone.

In the past year, we've taken several mini-vacations without any predator issues - until this last time!

But even then, I was home within the week without any apparent loss of fowl while hubby, son, and dog were still out of town. The predators didn't come until after I got back home and I think it was because the scent of our dog was wearing off by this time... We lost 4 birds. Suspect coyotes tho' since we have a pack of 8 hanging near our 'hood. Once our dog came home, the problem ceased.