Raising chickens on weekends

[MayberrySaint]

 

[Southern28Chick]

Quote:
Would you do it?

Any animal, if it's a dog, cat, goat, horse or chickens, if you only care for them on the weekends then that is exactly what neglect is. It doesn't matter that chickens don't NEED human contact to be happy. They do NEED human care to protect them and feed them. If you had a horse would you leave it alone in a pasture for an entire week and come back on the weekends to care for it? I doubt it. And I know a horse is not a chicken and neither is a dog but these are all animals that we decide to bring into our lives and it is our responsiblity to care for them properly.

 

[eggcetra_farms]

This thread already has one of those "locked airs" to it lol

As mentioned before, I've thought about having a setup where I could have a piece of land with chickens on it, going once or twice a week to check up on things. There's all types of things that COULD make this possible.

Automatic waterers, large and numerous feeders, automatic doors to allow the hens in and out, secured runs, tilted floors for egg roll out (the eggs could roll into something such as a cooler where they could stay cool and fresh - just a thought, no idea how to actually do that), cleaning only needs to be done once a week. My real problem is wanting to spend time with the chickens. As Mayberry mentioned, I'm also not sure whether my presence makes THEM happy, but I know their presence makes ME happy. So I have mixed feelings.......

 

[pattycake]

What I would do in this situation is: Find a way to share the chickens with a permanent local resident. Maybe you could invest in a really nice coop, they would invest the daily care, and you share the eggs and the running costs...

I have some unused space on my property, and if the adjoining neighbor wanted to put a chicken coop on it and pay for the chicks, I'd be **thrilled** to add it to my daily chores. More than thrilled.

 

[MayberrySaint]

Quote:
Would you do it?

Any animal, if it's a dog, cat, goat, horse or chickens, if you only care for them on the weekends then that is exactly what neglect is. It doesn't matter that chickens don't NEED human contact to be happy. They do NEED human care to protect them and feed them. If you had a horse would you leave it alone in a pasture for an entire week and come back on the weekends to care for it? I doubt it. And I know a horse is not a chicken and neither is a dog but these are all animals that we decide to bring into our lives and it is our responsiblity to care for them properly.

I have a feeder that I fill every 3 days...2 feeders=6 days.
I fill my waterer every 4 days...2 waterers=8 days.
My coop is uber-secure.
If I was only going to be here on weekends, I would build a very secure run.
I would have no problem leaving them during the week if that was what I wanted to do.
The care and love that I could provide on Sat and Sun would provide my flock with better conditions than 99.9% of the chickens raised in the US.
Therefore, I have met your requirements of feed, water and protection...where is the neglect?
Neglect??? Is it neglect when those of us who allow our hens to free-range get eaten alive by a raccoon. Was it neglect for our BYC member to build his coop in a bear area and lost his entire flock? Was it neglect when "Sgt Maj" Bok Bok got eaten by a snake? No...those things happen. Did it make any difference whether those flocks were attended daily?

BTW...I have to participate in at least 1 locked thread monthly to stay happy...

BTW Redux...I would much more likely leave a horse during the week than my flock. Pasture, water, free-choice hay...no problem.

 

[Newchickenmom&kids]

BTW...I have to participate in at least 1 locked thread monthly to stay happy...

 

[MissPrissy]

Quote:
This would be irresponsible and neglectful.

I choose not to read or post further on this thread as is it heading down hill at a very fast pace.

Good luck to you, davidott.

 

[Southern28Chick]

Quote:
Would you do it?

Any animal, if it's a dog, cat, goat, horse or chickens, if you only care for them on the weekends then that is exactly what neglect is. It doesn't matter that chickens don't NEED human contact to be happy. They do NEED human care to protect them and feed them. If you had a horse would you leave it alone in a pasture for an entire week and come back on the weekends to care for it? I doubt it. And I know a horse is not a chicken and neither is a dog but these are all animals that we decide to bring into our lives and it is our responsiblity to care for them properly.

I have a feeder that I fill every 3 days...2 feeders=6 days.
I fill my waterer every 4 days...2 waterers=8 days.
My coop is uber-secure.
If I was only going to be here on weekends, I would build a very secure run.
I would have no problem leaving them during the week if that was what I wanted to do.
The care and love that I could provide on Sat and Sun would provide my flock with better conditions than 99.9% of the chickens raised in the US.
Therefore, I have met your requirements of feed, water and protection...where is the neglect?
Neglect??? Is it neglect when those of us who allow our hens to free-range get eaten alive by a raccoon. Was it neglect for our BYC member to build his coop in a bear area and lost his entire flock? Was it neglect when Col Bok Bok got eaten by a snake? No...those things happen. Did it make any difference whether those flocks were attended daily?

BTW...I have to participate in at least 1 locked thread monthly to stay happy...

BTW Redux...I would much more likely leave a horse during the week than my flock. Pasture, water, free-choice hay...no problem.

Well Mayberry, you know I'm not the arguing type and since it seems neither of us are going to change our minds I'll just leave this thread alone.

And BTW, it was Sgt. Major Bok Bok that was eaten by the snake, Lt. Col. Bok Bok is my roo that I have now. And I really wish you hadn't gone there because now I really don't feel that I can respect someone who just threw the death my BELOVED PET in my face. Thanks a lot.

 

[eggcetra_farms]

In all honesty, I don't see why this thread should have to get out of hand.

Obviously, the problem here is with the term "neglect." Here's a definition from dictionary.com

ne·glect /nɪˈglɛkt/ [ni-glekt]
–verb (used with object)
1. to pay no attention or too little attention to; disregard or slight: The public neglected his genius for many years.
2. to be remiss in the care or treatment of: to neglect one's family; to neglect one's appearance.
3. to omit, through indifference or carelessness: to neglect to reply to an invitation.
4. to fail to carry out or perform (orders, duties, etc.): to neglect the household chores.
5. to fail to take or use: to neglect no precaution.
6. an act or instance of neglecting; disregard; negligence: The neglect of the property was shameful.
7. the fact or state of being neglected: a beauty marred by neglect.

#1 could be argued, because that definition is completely left to opinion. Who says what amount of time is sufficient? An hour, two, three....? Points #2 & #4 have been covered. That leaves #1. What would be YOUR definition of the proper # of hours of care toward your chickens that would not be considered neglectful? I bet there is a TON of difference in opinion there.​

 

[MayberrySaint]

Quote:
I have a feeder that I fill every 3 days...2 feeders=6 days.
I fill my waterer every 4 days...2 waterers=8 days.
My coop is uber-secure.
If I was only going to be here on weekends, I would build a very secure run.
I would have no problem leaving them during the week if that was what I wanted to do.
The care and love that I could provide on Sat and Sun would provide my flock with better conditions than 99.9% of the chickens raised in the US.
Therefore, I have met your requirements of feed, water and protection...where is the neglect?
Neglect??? Is it neglect when those of us who allow our hens to free-range get eaten alive by a raccoon. Was it neglect for our BYC member to build his coop in a bear area and lost his entire flock? Was it neglect when Col Bok Bok got eaten by a snake? No...those things happen. Did it make any difference whether those flocks were attended daily?

BTW...I have to participate in at least 1 locked thread monthly to stay happy...

BTW Redux...I would much more likely leave a horse during the week than my flock. Pasture, water, free-choice hay...no problem.

Well Mayberry, you know I'm not the arguing type and since it seems neither of us are going to change our minds I'll just leave this thread alone.

And BTW, it was Sgt. Major Bok Bok that was eaten by the snake, Lt. Col. Bok Bok is my roo that I have now. And I really wish you hadn't gone there because now I really don't feel that I can respect someone who just threw the death my BELOVED PET in my face. Thanks a lot.

I fixed my reference to your Bok Bok...and if you re-read the passage, I don't see what I was "throwing in your face"??? I was using it as an example of how things go wrong with our flocks even when we are trying to care for our animals/birds on a daily basis.