how long can i leave them in a coop?

[who'sgoingchickenhuntin']

If my wife and it wanted to go on vacation how long can I leave them coop up? I provide gravity feeder that last about a week. Water bowl is also gravity fed. That stays full for over week. even longer when it rains.

 

[LynneP]

Not a good idea- water fouls, accidents happen, feed can get moldy, feeders clog. Arrange for someone to come in and care for them. My 2 cents.

 

[2468Chickensrgr8]

Its hot here..Is it hot there? They also need to cool down in the heat of the day.....do they have a secured yard to go out into? Accidents happen....I am thankful I have someone coming in each day to check on them when I go on vacation...Plus if I leave eggs in a nest too long/or coop them up too long I have had the rotten experience of getting chickens that punish me by breaking the eggs... and its a hard habit to break....just my 2 cents...

 

[who'sgoingchickenhuntin']

so basically if you can get some one to close the coop at dusk. i'll be ok? and take the eggs as a reward?

 

[thechickenchick]

That's basically what we plan on doing. We leave ours for 2 or 3 days at a time unattended without any problems. We lock them in at night when we are home. However when we are gone we leave our dogs out and rely on our Nite Guard devises. They are $20 and have worked for us for well over a year now.

We are going to be gone a week or so coming up soon. We have asked our nearest neighbors (2 miles) to come over once a day to check food/water and such. I told them they could keep all the eggs(about 12-15 daily) or give them away.

They will not have to open or close the coop, just check on things once a day. They are kids so I will be paying them something, not sure how much would be fair. Their Mom said eggs is plenty payment but I feel I should give the kids something.

Good luck and have fun on your vacation.

 

[THough1956]

MONTANA. I will come and watch your chickens the whole week!!!
Where in the world do you need to go on vacation!

 

[jupitergirl]

What are "nite guard devices"? Sounds like something I need.

 

[thechickenchick]

www.niteguard.com

We swear by them. We have coon, fox, badger, skunk and coyotes in our area.

THough1956

Whats funny is we are only going about 2 hours away! We live on the plains. Glacier National Park is pretty close to us. We have family from Washington and New Mexico coming for a family reunion and this is where they wanted to visit. Worked out great for us, we don't have to travel far and we LOVE the mountains.

Have you ever been to Montana? It is a beautiful place. Can't see myself living anywhere else! Come visit, I will show you where the chicken feed is....