I plan on leaving chickens alone at least one week

[6littlegirls]

I am all set to leave my girls for a week at Christmas. They have a thermostate regulated water heater. No frozen water. The have a run,plus the green house and their insulated coop with a reptile night light on a thermostate regulated plug. They have an automatic door opener and lights that are programed to come on. They have three places to get food. Two places for water. They have someone that will come by daily to check on them. The only thing they will miss is me and my treats but maybe their sitter will bring them some.

 

[drumstick diva]

what about power failure, or damage due to winter storms, etc. etc? I would worry to death about them if they were mine. But, I do tend to worry about everything. Plus members frequently complain about neighbors or others hired to come in and care for birds, that never show up. I used to breed dogs and never went anywhere because I couldn't trust others to care for them like I did.

 

[Coykoi]

This thread gives me hope for the future. I put off an out of town trip this month because I couldn't manage to board or pet sit the dogs AND the chickies, and I just assumed that I needed to be there twice a day, every day. My birds are too young this year (3 months), but maybe by next year I'll have a coop that I'm more comfortable with (security against predators) and the finances will have recovered enough that only the dogs will need to go to the boarder.

 

[1FlewOver]

I had some chest pain, and decided maybe I should go to the doctor, after months of pnuemonia. The doc said go to the hospital immediately. So I went home and had a couple of beers, then called a cab. They put me in intensive care for a couple of days, then isolatation as they pumped me full of antibiotics and took a hundred blood samples.

They had me in isolation because they thought I might have tuberculosis. Anyway, after a few days....I got to thinking about my critters! At the same time, my next door neighbor was found dead in his house, my neighbors realized they hadn't seen me in a few days, so the cops are breaking in my house. The lady across the street is trying to call me, but the nitwit is calling my house phone. She FINALLY calls my cell: " Where are you?" "Im in the hospital!" lol.

So I had called another neighbor and told them to let my cat out. A few days later, I was worried about my snake...I didn't know if she had water. I wasn't worried about my turtle or fish , but my daughter fed them anyway.

So...ten days later, $44,000 later... I get back home.(They still want me to see a pulmonolgist and an oral surgeon....whatever)!

Anyway...my critters survived.. (Dang crazy lady across the street was giving my cat bottled water and canned food!)

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

This thread gives me hope for the future. I put off an out of town trip this month because I couldn't manage to board or pet sit the dogs AND the chickies, and I just assumed that I needed to be there twice a day, every day. My birds are too young this year (3 months), but maybe by next year I'll have a coop that I'm more comfortable with (security against predators) and the finances will have recovered enough that only the dogs will need to go to the boarder.

Yay, hope! lol I think we all over think these things...

 

[6littlegirls]

My chickens are dry and wind free. Their coop is well insulated. They are a cold weather breed at --12 degrees celcius they are doing fine. Tomorrow will be even colder. They have good ventelation and a good layer of straw and tri layer wood chips. We have a thermostate water warmer. They do have lights that put off some heat not much. We also have someone checking on them daily.

They are doing great and still laying eggs.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

 

[6littlegirls]

The temperature went to -20 celcius today and the chickens are out roaming in the green house. We had some light snow so I put some snow in a container in the green house. They love the snow and use it like water. They are still laying eggs. I started a mealworm farm and put some in with their treats

Just another day for the girls.

 

[aart]

They have two weeks worth of food and water and in secure housing unless the bear who just showed up in the area, after no bears in 10 years who ALREADY ate someones flock.

8-0 hope you have hot wire set up!

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

8-0 hope you have hot wire set up!

I am not too worried about the bear and if I have bear related losses I will make some changes. I was pretty secure that my setup would repel everything in my area, from dogs and raccoons and coyotes, bobcats and mountain lions. But a bear could change everything. He is cute I will post a pic someone snapped of him a few days ago, maybe 1.5 miles from me.



Gary