Leaving Girls home alone.

[rosemarythyme]

dont leave i left for 1 day and half my flock died

Not very reasonable to expect people to stay at home all day, every day.

A secure coop and secure-as-possible run should keep the birds fairly safe regardless if someone's at home to watch over them.

 

[That_australian_lad]

Not very reasonable to expect people to stay at home all day, every day.

A secure coop and secure-as-possible run should keep the birds fairly safe regardless if someone's at home to watch over them.

my nabors dog ate them

 

[rosemarythyme]

my nabors dog ate them

Very sorry to hear that, I hope the neighbor made some amends to you (though I know they can't just be replaced) and that you were able to secure your chickens a bit better in hopes of preventing that from happening again.

 

[annampet]

my nabors dog ate them

I'm sorry you lost part of your flock

I had an instance two weeks ago where I was gone overnight and none of my friends were available. I left my coop doors open, lots of food and water and my flock survived. We don't have a full predator proof coop, I left knowing this, we got lucky. It's a risk even if you have a good coop.

 

[trudyg]

I have left mine several times for up to a week. I have 2 5 gallon buckets with nipples that I fill (with ice if it's hot) for them. Lids keep the water clean and, as long as they are level, they won't leak down. I also have 2 feeders that I fill before I go. The main thing is that I have an ADOR automatic door--opens and closes on its own. That was the best investment! My coop is very secure, my run as secure as I can make it without digging footers. My only problem with going away is leaving the eggs. This isn't much help if you're leaving soon, I know, but planning for 'what if' makes it easier to leave.

 

[Mark_Khrushchev]

Hi, I need to go out of town Friday through Sunday and need to leave my girls home alone, they will be almost 15 wks old. I do not have a neighbor to check on them & let them out . I have a small chicken coop and run. The coop part is 4 feet by 3 feet and the run is 4 feet by 6 feet. Do I need to leave the girls in only the Coop or can I leave the door open to the Run portion? It is built with hardware cloth & has one small window. I do have an additional 6_12ft dog kennel attached but the girls would not be in there while we are away.

As long as the run has a roof, you should leave it open. Also give them plenty of food and water.

 

[West Bend]

I have the food & H2O covered, I was looking for opinions on the coop & run options. This coop is too small for an automatic door... My next coop will probably have one, due to me working 2nd shift.

 

[blackdog043]

You are taking a risk either way. I would leave the coop and run open IMO.

 

[123RedBeard]

Small coop, one small window ... summer ... weekend forcast in low 80's ... means leave door to run open ...

While there may be a risk from predators ... leaving them locked in the oven is a much higher chance of coming home to dead chickens.