How do you manage vacations?

[GracieJ]

When I went on vacation to the USA over Christmas last year I asked my brother (as usual) to come over every day once or twice if he could to feed all the animals (two cats, 1 dog, ten rabbits and two ducks (now 8 in total) and fish) and offered him money but he said no. I wrote very specific and detailed instructions, labelled everything. Needless to say when we came home the house was in disarray, the cats were starved, the rabbits were bored and chewed the door. Our mail was left on the floor to be chewed on and my bedroom tv has two cracks on the screen. I was complete unamused. Safe to say I’m paying for a pet sitter next time as at least they will do it correctly (hopefully). If you have a trustworthy family member to look after them then do that! Or pay for a sitter who belongs to a legitimate organisation

 

[happyhens1972]

I am so lucky.....I have family members who squabble over who's turn it is to stay when hubby and I go away. We are off canal boating for a week in June and my son and daughter-i-law won the toss this time. The DIL has no interest at all in the animals but loves the house and garden so she'll look after those and my son will tend to the critters. My two sisters did it last year....they stayed for the week and had days out from here....so it was their vacation too,

If I didn't have the family available and was only going for a week, I would pay my neighbour to come in every to check on everyone. It would only work out in full grass/browse growing season so that my goats and alpacas had free access to as much grazing as they wanted and hay could be left in bulk. The chickens, rabbits and cats could all work on the 'stack it high' theory of food and water.

As mentioned by another poster, what you do for a limited period of vacation and what you do for your ongoing daily care can be two separate things. Well fed, healthy animals can get by without all the extras for a week without suffering ill effects. My goats, alpacas and rabbits all usually have a small quantity of breed specific pellet food each day but can happily live for a week without it as long as they have hay and/or grass stacked high. The chicken feeders hold enough for a week and the waterers can be doubled up. The egg issue can be dealt with by using roll aways so the chooks don't crush them all and make a mess. My cats are indoor cats, used to having dry food available 24/7 so that can be stacked. The litter trays are usually cleaned twice a day but can go longer if needed.

All of this means I could ask the neighbour to just do a visual check on everyone, rather than asking them to feed, water and tend them all.....it's a lot of work for someone who's not used to it. The main thing, in my case, would be the cat litter trays as if they go too long, the cats would go elsewhere! Thankfully, my neighbour has cats as well so is more than happy to deal with that side of things.

All this said, I wouldn't feel at all comfortable unless I knew the visual check thing was happening every day. An injury or illness can deteriorate rapidly and sometimes vet treatment might be needed so I would want daily reports to put my mind at rest.....but to be honest, the chickens would be the last ones I would worry about as their run is predator proof, the pen provides a safe, enclosed, fully supplied environment and most health issues that mine are likely to encounter would not progress to critical status in a week.

 

[blackdog043]

My coop and run are as secure as I can get them. The run door stays open 24/7. I have two 5 gallon waterers with horizontal nipples and two no waste feeders (5 gal & 7 gal buckets). I go away for a week and have water and feed still left in them, when I get home. Our neighbor watches the dogs, but she doesn't know a thing about chickens, she can get the eggs if she wants to, or I collect the eggs when I get home, and they go in the fridge.

 

[Beer can]

We go on vacation, gone for a week a yr. Have family close so they take care of the dogs and cat (cat's can take care of themselves lol)
The chickens though I don't trust anybody lol put 15gal closed containers with chicken nipples, and 15lb galvanized feeders in each coop, tested them out beforehand, plenty good. Just stay away from my chickens! My luck they'd forget to water them, or accidentally leave the door open...etc..
Yeah I have piles of eggs when we get back but still good for feeding back to the birds or the dogs. One yr had two JG go broody over it and hatched out some chicks.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

As stated by others, plan ahead.

My daily routine is simple, collect eggs and enjoy their company...
Weekend, fill feeder and waterer.
Yearly, do a cleanout of coop, early fall.

Deep bedding in coop, and deep liter in run.

My feeders and waterers hold enough for several weeks at any given time.
Around 12 birds.

My run is as secure as my coop, open 24/7.

If I were missing for several days, or even weeks, my only issue would be questionable eggs. Has been this way for over a decade, it works.

PLAN AHEAD

Thank you, I am in the process of reconfiguring. Somehow, I missed notifications to my own thread.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

When I went on vacation to the USA over Christmas last year I asked my brother (as usual) to come over every day once or twice if he could to feed all the animals (two cats, 1 dog, ten rabbits and two ducks (now 8 in total) and fish) and offered him money but he said no. I wrote very specific and detailed instructions, labelled everything. Needless to say when we came home the house was in disarray, the cats were starved, the rabbits were bored and chewed the door. Our mail was left on the floor to be chewed on and my bedroom tv has two cracks on the screen. I was complete unamused. Safe to say I’m paying for a pet sitter next time as at least they will do it correctly (hopefully). If you have a trustworthy family member to look after them then do that! Or pay for a sitter who belongs to a legitimate organisation

Oh man, if you can't trust your brother, who can you trust?

 

[RonP]

Well, here we go again...

First day of spring and we are expecting about a foot of snow. With drifts, could be much more up against the coop and door.

I checked on the girls this morning, don't expect to get to them for a day or three.
I cannot shovel or lift the heavy snow (health).

No worries or stress. As discussed, they are secure and good for at least 2 weeks. I'll check on them from my kitchen window, about 30 yards away...

I will miss them more than they me!

PLAN AHEAD!

 

[lazy gardener]

I think if I was going away for multiple over nights, I'd get the coop and run fortified with electric fencing.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

I think if I was going away for multiple over nights, I'd get the coop and run fortified with electric fencing.

That is already in the works!