How do you vacation when you have chickens?

[kuntrygirl]

I was wondering if it is a good idea to take my six hens (between three and four months old) to a friends home who also had chickens?  Or will her hens/rooster mess with our girls?  For our hens, they're kind of divided in two groups of three.  Just wondering if it's feasible to take ours to our friend's home/chicken coop for the two weeks we'll be gone. Thanks!

Yes, it is a very bad idea for the reasons I stated in my above post. Her hens and rooster will definitely run yours off, and there is the possibility of exposure to illnesses. Can your friend check in on your hens while you are gone? Or a local teen/petsitter?

x2. I agree!

 

[SoCalChickie]

We try to get a neighbor to come visit the chickens at least once a day to check food/water and give them some love. As a bonus, they get all the eggs! In a worse case scenario, we fill the water feeder and food bin to max capacity which will allow us to go away for 2-3 days (but this is not ideal as my girls love attention!).

 

[3chickchicks]

Mine free range but my run is big enough for them to stay locked up in if need be and is a safe enclosure from predators. The coop is connected to the run. I don't have a door on the coop since the opening faces into the run so they'll go into the coop on their own. My waterer and feeder provide enough for a week. My neighbor is happy to come over and just check on them every few days, maybe top off the water if needed. He wouldn't ask for any money or anything because we return the favor if he leaves. But once they start laying, then I'd let him keep the eggs. His kids would probably enjoy collecting the eggs anyway which means they'd probably get checked every day or more, lol!

They're chickens. They don't need baby sitters. If they have clean water, food, shelter and enough room, they'll be fine.

 

[OScarlet]

we built a travelling tractor and they went to a friend's house that has chickens. We put them over the other side of the garden though so they wouldn't worry her hens.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I recently took a vacation and asked my neighbor to care for my animals. Well, let's just say she didn't feed them for 3 days nor did she provide them with clean water. NEVER AGAIN !!!!!!!

 

[Chicks Galore3]

I recently took a vacation and asked my neighbor to care for my animals. Well, let's just say she didn't feed them for 3 days nor did she provide them with clean water. NEVER AGAIN !!!!!!!

That's sad.....just....sad. Sad that some people have NO idea how to care for animals, or at least are to lazy too.

 

[OScarlet]

Can you imagine doing that to a child? I really don't see how that is any different. I know they are animals, but they suffer the same nonetheless.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

Can you imagine doing that to a child? I really don't see how that is any different. I know they are animals, but they suffer the same nonetheless.

Almost nothin truer then that right there!!!

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i honestly think it's best to hire a petsitter, either someone who is insured and bonded, or at least someone who does it for a living. Counting on family, friends, or neighbors can be sketchy. If it's a favor, they aren't as inclined to take it seriously. i changed pet sitters this year as my previous one was becoming unreliable. My new pet sitter is wonderful. She stays at my house when we're gone, sends daily texts and pictures to let me know everything is okay. It is well worth the added vacation expense to know my critters are in good hands.

 

[OScarlet]

This is why we made the travel coop, so our friends who have healthy, happy chickens would look after ours.