How young is too young for 1x/day checks?

[rw1647]

I will be getting my first chicks in just about 1 week (!!!!!) but I just found out that both my partner and I will have to be out of town for the weekend of June 6th (when the peeps will be just about a month old). We have other pets and normally have our petsitter come in once per day to feed everyone and make sure they are all ok, but will the peeps be too young for just a once-a-day check? We could take them with us (just 5 chicks), but I'm not sure which would be more stressful for them, being home but only having someone come in once a day or travelling for 5 hours twice in a weekend. There is a chance that our petsitter could come by more than once, but it might not be possible. We would be out of town Thursday afternoon to Monday afternoon. I don't want anything to happen to the babies but I just don't know how self-sufficient they are at 1 month old.

 

[debilorrah]

Ok, first off, once they are a month old, they won't be getting pasty butt. However, 4 days is too long without someone checking their food and water. Do you have a neighbor that can come in? Do not leave an open dish of water as they will climb in it and chickens don't swim, they will drown.

 

[deerman]

They will be fine with someone checking once a day.

 

[willowcol]

I recently went away from thursay to sun, with week old chicks in the brooder. My daughter came and checked on them and feed and watered all the birds on sat. morning. I think someone coming half way through if you have big enough food and waterers would be fine.

 

[rw1647]

Good to know that they should be fine with the petsitter checking on them once a day. We had gone out of our way to make sure we wouldn't be going out of town for the first couple months but there is a huge party for my grandparent's 65 anniversary planned and we really can't use "the chickens are too young" as an excuse not to go! I'll make sure to get a larger feeder and waterer or at least more than one.

 

[blueheaven]

good to know. my chicks will be 7 weeks when we go for a week vacation. i was going to have someone come over morning and night to check on them and close them back in their coop...since our dog will be with my parents - she cannot scare predators away.