looking for advice on maintaining a flock on property you don't occupy

[AinaWGSD]

I currently have a lovely little flock in a town that allows chickens within city limits. Unfortunately, due to personal circumstances, we will be moving in the near future to a different town that does not currently allow the keeping of poultry within city limits. We are currently trying to work with the local city council on changing the ordinance to allow chickens, but since it is a small town and people there are set in their ways we aren't holding out much hope that we will be able to get the ordinance changed.

My husband and I are reluctant to totally give up on keeping chickens for the next few years however. My grandmother lives in the same town except on a small farm out in the country and we are currently considering the logistics of keeping a flock on her property. My concern however is that we will not be able to check on the chickens every day. We would be able to check on them several times a week, particularly in the summer when the daylight hours are longer, but certainly not daily. Her property is largely wooded, with non-wooded areas being corn/bean fields. I know that she has coyotes in fair numbers out there (hence the reason she has very few cats) along with hawks, owls, raccoons, opossums, and the occasional stray dog (and I'm sure there are other predators that we are not aware of). She lives on the property along with one of my uncles, but I do not want to place the burden of caring for my chickens on them, nor do I feel I can trust them to always check the coop, feeders, and water reliably every day.

So I am looking for any advice from those who keep their flocks (or at least part of their flocks) on a property other than the one on which they reside. How realistic is it to expect to be able to keep chickens if someone can't for sure check on them at least once a day? Especially when it's cold enough to freeze the water or extremely hot out like it is right now? Are there any special considerations that need to be taken? Or any tools that may make it easier? Any advice is welcome, even if that advice is to just not do it.

 

[HEChicken]

You can automate a lot of things - the door, the feeder, the waterer, so that you don't have to be there every day. I have an auto door and am working on reducing my work load when it comes to feed and water. However I still check on them multiple times throughout the day and always walk down at night after the door has closed to make sure everyone made it in. More times than I can count (tonight, for example), a few birds have elected to stay outside the coop and have been locked out. I have the pullet shut door that gives them a second chance but with the hot days and warm nights, I think they prefer to be outside so don't take the second chance either.

So with all that in mind, I would not be comfortable living off property. And, in the winter I would feel even less comfortable because I would worry about the door icing shut or the water freezing or.....so many other considerations. They spend far more time in the coop in the winter than the summer so there is boredom to deal with along with lack of forage.