How hard can it really be?? Rant!

[bhawk-23]

As a teenager who regularly has pet/garden care gigs all over my neighborhood, I must say I am appalled after reading through this.
I very much value honesty, hard work, and above all the animals themselves. Despite being someone who struggles with forgetfulness and motivation on a daily basis (I have ADHD, which can be tough at times) I NEVER would do that to an animal or to the people who trusted me to look after it.
Funny story: I broke my wrist in a sports accident in February. Very painful and I spent a good chunk of the day woozy on pain meds and getting it casted. It was NOT a fun day. But when I got home, I still went over to my neighbor's house, fed the cats, collected mail, and cleaned the litter box, because that was my job.

I repeat- I would never purposefully do a poor job or be lazy/careless like that. So to hear about someone who would is disheartening. You have every right to be pissed at her.

A bit late on my reply but I am very happy to know there are still honest and responsible young pet sitters. I was also this way. I did not like baby sitting so I was the go to for pet sitting. No matter what, I would always go. And I have pretty severe ADHD though I was only diagnosed 1.5 yrs ago at the old age of 44 yrs old. I get your struggles with motivation and can commiserate with the forgetfulness. But for animals, I could always remember and actually wanted to do it!

 

[bhawk-23]

I understand how you feel. I had taken a number of years off after working ICU and Cath Lab, to be a stay at home Mom. In the last few years I have tried to go back, but need some "catch up" training on new equipment and such.
These young ones don't want to do any training. I had one preceptor who wouldn't even talk to me, much less explain what she was doing and became aggravated when I asked questions (Like I was in her way). I was told I wasn't catching on quickly enough, I was there less than 2 weeks.

That's horrible. I have been home with kids for 11 yrs and wonder what I will do when it's time to find a career.

 

[bhawk-23]

Mini rant: I hate to sound like an old battle axe nurse but about 70% of new nurses are into minimal effort. They want to sit at a computer, have an hour lunch and everything is 'too hard'. The job i work at now (after 20 yrs in hospitals) is CAKE and yet they stay 2 months and quit.
Off topic a bit but i empathize with the OP.

My sister runs a dialysis clinic and the struggles she has with her nurses and techs are real. And with all the HR bull c*** it is nearly impossible to discipline let alone fire themIt's really kinda sad tbo.

 

[Regina Larsen]

My sister runs a dialysis clinic and the struggles she has with her nurses and techs are real. And with all the HR bull c*** it is nearly impossible to discipline let alone fire themIt's really kinda sad tbo.

The struggle is real

 

[Bobfein2005]

Wow! That was a bad experience. I think NOW is the time to start looking for a better replacement in case you ever want to go on vacation again.

FWIW, I have a 3 gallon waterer and a 5 gallon PVC hanging feeder. I only have to refill them every 7-10 days. Also, because I live in northern Minnesota, my chickens don't go outside all winter - they literally live in their coop almost 6 months out of the year. Long story short, I could fill up the water and fed and leave my chickens in the coop without anyone needing to see them for 7-10 days. Would I want to do that? No, obviously. But I think I could easily go a few days without worrying about them.

Hi. Barron county wisconsin here. Cold now! Metal dog bowl on heated base isn't working. Freezing in 2-3 hours. I'm interested in your water solution. I've got 7 hens. Any advice appreciated.

 

[Granny23]

You really have to be cautious! some folks are raggedy dishonest!

I would of been REALLY PISSED! And she is a 4th year vet student??? Oh HELL NO! She must not like chickens to let that happen. Makes me wonder what kind of vet she will make. To let their food and water run so low and to not see and treat their medical issues??? That is NOT a trustworthy person. I feel bad for your girls!!! Are they Ok now?

 

[gtaus]

Hi. Barron county wisconsin here. Cold now! Metal dog bowl on heated base isn't working. Freezing in 2-3 hours. I'm interested in your water solution. I've got 7 hens. Any advice appreciated.

First of all, I keep my feeder and waterer inside my coop, which I built big enough to house my chickens and all their feed and water 24/7. My waterer is not exposed to the cold wind and snow outside. It still gets down to -35F to -40F in the coop, but the waterer stays unfrozen.

I use a 3 gallon metal fount waterer....

That sits on top of a metal base heater. The base heater says it will keep water from freezing down to +10F, which as you know, is not very good for our northern states winters. However, since I have my waterer and base heater inside the coop, I can attest to the fact that it has kept my water ice free down to those -40F nights. Again, I suspect having the waterer inside the coop, not exposed to blowing wind or snow, is probably the magic ticket for me.

That sits on top of a concrete paver which keeps the base heater from sitting in the coop litter. I imagine the base heater is safe to use just sitting on the litter, but I liked the idea of having a more level base for the heater and also keeping it somewhat separated from the deep bedding in the coop.

I am familiar with the heated dog dishes, but did not think they would be good enough for my chickens in the winter. Those heated dog dishes are not rated for the low temps we get, and there is a lot of open water in that bowl to cool off fast. Believe me, if I thought I could save money with a heated dog dish, I would have considered it.

Having fresh water in the winter, and not having to refill water or tote it out to the chickens multiple times a day, was the deciding factor for me to invest in the metal waterer and base heater. 3 years ago, I think I paid around $80 for the set at our local Fleet store. The concrete paver was less than $2.00. I have never regretted spending that money. This will be my 4th winter with this setup and it has yet to fail me. If the heater base ever dies, I'll be back into town to buy another one before the day is out. I have 10 chickens, and I only need to refill my waterer about once every 10 days throughout the winter.

I try to save money everywhere I can, but when it came to fresh water, that is about the only area with my chickens that I invested in the best possible setup I could find. Perhaps nothing is more important to the health of the chickens than having fresh water available. Hope that helps. Good luck.

 

[Bobfein2005]

Metal fount waterer on the way. My coop is smallish so water stays in the run. Sheltered and roofed. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[gtaus]

Metal fount waterer on the way. My coop is smallish so water stays in the run. Sheltered and roofed. Thanks for the feedback.

Just to be clear, my metal water fount would freeze up in no time if it was not sitting on the metal base heater. It's the combo of both that works for me. If you have the waterer sheltered and roofed, with the heater, it should work pretty well for you. My coop is not heated, but everything is out of direct weather.

Understand many coops are on the small size and adding a waterer and feeder inside the coop is a non starter. That's why I mentioned I built my coop with those things in mind from the get go. My chickens don't go outside in the snowy run all winter. But they are quite comfortable in the coop with about 8 square feet per bird. Winters are long, but I have yet to lose a bird from the cold weather.

 

[Bobfein2005]

Thanks again.