Vacation

[sotelomary]

If they are layers, you will need someone to pick up the eggs daily. Otherwise, the chickens may start eating the eggs and this is a hard habit to break. Unfortunately when we have pets/animals they are a responsibility and we have to find someone to take care of them while we are away.

It was so much easier to go away for the weekend when we didn't have chickens. It can still be done. We leave a 5 gallon bucket full of feed and plenty of water. The sitter (who happens to live on the property) collects the eggs daily and lets them out for the day. At the end of the day all she has do is to lock the coop door. I always worry that she will forget since she is not used to doing this. But I guess this is the price I have to pay.

When we go out to dinner, we have the same problem. One time we went to a friends house and my husband remembered about an hour and a half after dark that we hadn't locked up the hens. I was so worried as we drove like crazy that a racoon had gotten them! Well they were safe but now we joke that we have to get home before the vampires start rising! lol Now we have all our neighbors phone numbers on our cell phone in case we need for them to lock up the hens.

Mary

 

[nes]

Thanks for all the help guys!!

I think for our vacation we're going to either ask our neighbour to pop in (too bad we don't have any young kids on our road!) or we have a friend that owes us several months of accumulated dog-sitting we're never going to use

(but he's an hour away now, so I think the neighbour would be easier!!).

Maybe I can even trade chicken-care for fresh eggs? Hmmmm

 

[booker81]

Somewhat on this topic - I used to do a LOT of "farm-sitting" for folks in my late teens and early twenties - anywhere from 4 horses, two dogs and a few chickens, to over 100 horses, 5 dogs and a bunch of cats. There are a lot folks who are more than happy to stop in once or twice a day, pick up your mail, and make it look like there is still someone in the house, for a few bucks a day (the 100+ horse thing was $50 a day, but well, 100+ horses!!).

If you do have someone house/chicken sit, make sure they have a list of contact numbers and that they can give you references. We live in the boonies here, but there is still problems with break-ins and theft - having someone over twice a day to check everything out is really nice - not just for the animals, but for general peace of mind. Bad things can happen - one place I was watching had a waterline blow out right after the folks left. If I hadn't come in to check things, it would have flooded for a week (I managed to turn off the main valve, and it just needed some mopping).

Just an idea

 

[jsny]

I have to go out of the country this fall/winter Nov-Feb months and am looking for somebody around the Wurtsboro - Middletown N.Y. area to board my 3 Rode Island Red hens. They are healthy, happy, good layers and love to be pet! Any takers?