Time Commitment

[BradyMSU]

A neighbor couple, who had chickens one year recently, is telling me to re-consider my decision to have backyard chickens. They say that raising chickens will prevent my family from ever going away for the weekend. They also said that raising chickens in our exisiting shed will prevent us from ever being able to use the shed in the future for another purpose regardless of how frequently we change wood shavings and clean. Is this true?

 

[wynedot55]

lets see if i can put your mind at ease.for starters you can use your shed for chickens no prob.an if you decide to quit raising chickens it can be used for other things.an yes you can go away for the weekend.all you have todo is have enough feed an water for them for 2 or 3 days.an have someone collect the eggs while your gone.i wouldnt leave eggs in there till you got back.because hens might break an eat them.you need a preditor proof pen though.

 

[claud]

I think chickens are one of the least time-consuming pets. As mentioned you can go away for a weekend - stock them up on food and water and have someone stop once a day for the eggs. As for reusing the shed - it will be hard/impossible to get the smell out.

 

[Rosalind]

1. Going away for the weekend is possible, indeed much more feasible for chickens than it would be for a dog. Chickens, if they have a reasonably large and secure coop, can have some extra food or an extra feeder and waterer put down, and then you just leave 'em for a weekend. Longer than a couple of days, just hire a pet sitter like you would any other pet. Pet sitters are happy to get free eggs like anyone else.

2. My chickens currently live in a large barn that was built in the 1800s. This barn has housed chickens pretty much continuously since it was built. In a few months, we are building an outdoor coop closer to our fenced orchard, so the chickens can range around the orchard, and the barn will be converted to *living space*: we're putting in a granny suite, a garage area, and art studio space. Nobody, including my neat-freak mother, sees any problem with this whatsoever.

Does that answer your questions?

 

[rooster-red]

Just wanted to stress that you need to predator proof your shed/coop, it will save alot of heartache and you'll have peace of mind if you do go away for the weekend.

 

[horsewishr]

Quote:
What smell? Seriously. My coop doesn't stink. I use deep litter and have no place for poop to accumulate, so odor is extremely minimal.

 

[McGoo]

I believe that your neighbors are misinformed. If penned in securely, chickens are fine by themselves for days at a time. They just need food, fresh water and someone to pick up the eggs. It's really a nice job, especially if you let the chick sitter have the eggs that they find.

I clean out my coop 2x a week - turn over the pineshavings and scrape out any extra poop - 15 minutes. Honestly it is not time consuming - and oh what fun they can be

 

[GwenFarms]

As everyone else has said, these concerns are unfounded. Maybe your neighbor is being passive aggresive. Maybe their real concern is crowing roosters, or something

The chickens are the easiest thing here that we have to deal with when we go away. If we are gone just for the weekend we just feel the feeders and waterers. You may need to put in extras while your gone. If we are gone for a week we have a friend come by and check on things. Its no big deals unless you don't have anyone to swap favors with. If thats the case post on craigslist that you want to swap petsitting and you'll find someone trustworthy in no time and make a friend in the process.

I don't clean my coop anywhere near as often as others here and mine never smells. I have dirt floors that offers good drainage though and a huge run, but I've only noticed an odor when I 've seen chickens that were truly neglected, or way overcrowded. I think you'll be fine with your chickens.

 

[chcknrs]

Are your neighbors on drugs?

 

[bluerose]

Aw... don't keep your hens (only) in a shed... they need sunlight and dirt to scratch in!

Otherwise, pishposh. Them nay-bors don't know what they be talkin 'bout.