Please help!! A very dear friend has about a dozen chickens that I need to take care of for the next week or so due to a tragic family emergency, but I know ABSOLUTELY nothing about chickens... She said they get fed & watered in the afternoons and we should colect the eggs in the morning...other than that, I am at a total loss. I would appreciate ANY advice you can provide. Thanks! Jenn
That's pretty much all there is to it! Chickens are EASY! Put some of their feed into the feed dishes and replace the water when you visit. Collect eggs (give the whole area a look around to see if eggs were laid outside the boxes or under things), and put into the fridge. Make sure you don't let any run outside when you open the doors/gates. If some do get out, put some food in your hand and maybe they'll come up to you - I'm not sure how tame they are.
Jenn, Not sure where you are located. But this time of year you want to make sure they have shade at least and cool water if the temps get very high. Start doing something if the temps hit the 90's even spraying down the ground so they have a cool spot to lay in. Make sure the food is full and water is fresh at least every morning, twice a day if they tend to kick dirt in the water. Other than that it is a matter of taking time to watch them. recognize the behavior of a normal chicken and then treat any behavior that is not normal as bad. Even if it is cute. Some behavior looks bad, like fighting, but is not necessarily. But err on the side of caution. If any of them look wrong for an extended period, at the very least it would be good to separate them from other chickens so any disease does not spread. Other than that your friend is probably perfectly aware you are not experienced and has already accepted that bad things might happen that you cannot fix. By far your concern is that they have fresh water and plenty of food. also just take a look around each time you are their for signs animals have been trying to get in. with the extra silence around the property some varmints may get up just that little bit of extra nerve.
Thanks so much for your help! We are in southern Iowa and it's in the mid 80s with low humidity right now...she lives out in the country, so I will make it a point ot goi out a few times a day to make sure it isn't too warm. I offered to take care of them because I am sure she wasn't thinking abou them at all during her crisis... Jenn
Quote: ok now that is out of my system. It was very nice of you to offer to help your friend, specially in caring for her animals. Not a whole lot of people would have been so thoughful. I am new to keeping chickens and caring for them. They do pretty much all the work, they feed themselves and water themselves and amuse themselves too. As long as you are providing them with plenty of food and water, and making sure nothing is trying to get into their coop/pen they will be fine. She might put her chickens in the coop at night and then let them out inthe morning and then collect any eggs that might have been laid in their nesting boxes or around the coop. If you are worried about anything trying to get at them I guess yo could leave a radio plugged in near the pen, it won't bother the chickens but it will deter other naimals form coming around too close. good luck to you, and to your friend aswell.
