leaving my muscovy ducks for the weekend

[ilovemuscovy]

i am leaving my ducks for the weekend for my mom to take care of because i am going on vacation. problem is she is not very attentive... but i am hoping that she can follow the simple instruction of feeding them 3 times a day. last time i left ducks for her to take care of, i came back and 4 were dead because my mom left them in the sun for too long. they were still hatchlings. i was so upset. this time my ducks are much older so she'd really have to try to kill them, especially since they free-range.

do you guys ever have this problem? having to go away for a weekend and leaving your animals for someone who doesn't like them/ doesn't really take care of them like you would.

 

[DuckLady]

If you are worried about them starving, get a large feeder and fill it and hang it so it is off the ground.

Make sure they have a baby pool of water. It won't stay clean, but they can drink from it and maybe your mom can remember to refill it.

 

[Parrotchick]

I have cut back quite a bit on travelling because I know that nobody will care for my animals as conscientiously as I do, but I still do get away. First, try to find somebody you trust around your home and animals and hopefully get someone who CARES; at least if not for the animals, then for you because you care about them and would be devastated if something happened to them. This may not be the first available person. Relatives may do it because they feel obliged, but if they don't care that much, they might have the attitude that if it's not good enough, oh well, you're still family. You may have to PAY somebody. My ex-boyfriend used to care for my animals but when his job got too busy, I started paying reliable older neighborhood teenagers (see below for the animals I have requiring care). The kids appreciate the money and I pay them well enough to do a good job and want to do it for me whenever possible. I don't have a lot of money, but it's worth it to me for the well being of my animals. To me, it's all part of the cost of going away as much as transportation expenses.

I leave a very detailed written list of what to do, and walk sitters through the whole process. I try to think of all the variables and "what-if's" and of course leave contact information. (Which has been used-"Where can I find the white chickens?" to "I lost the house key"). I have never had any real problems. Sure, the duck water wasn't as clean as I would have liked and the parrots had more food than usual, but no big deal.

I also have big enough pens that the chickens and ducks can stay in them while I'm away and be fine without their free-range time. Then all that has to be done at night is to make sure all the chickens have gone into their coop, just the extra layer of predator protection within their pen. This was an up-front investment so I wouldn't have to worry about always being home at a certain time. I don't have to leave Thanksgiving dinner at 3 pm to drive home 2 hours to let the chickens in before dark anymore.

Try to have several people who would be willing to do the job and give plenty of advance notice. Sometimes pet sitters will post on Craigslist and other places. You may even be able to do a critter-sitting trade with other locals.
Good luck!

 

[EileenNW]

We live in two places, so my ducks are alone during my four-day work week. We have a secure pen with an automatic waterer, so I leave them lots of food and lock them in. On weekends I let them out and don't feed them very much so they have to forage. So far it works well and we have thirteen four-week-old ducklings who look very good.

Good luck. It costs more to grain them when we are gone, but it's good to know they are secure.

Eileen