Weekend Keepers / Coop Automation

dpenning

Crowing
8 Years
Jul 20, 2013
1,763
7,342
417
Blue Ridge, TX
The thread on what to do on vacations got me to wondering if it would be possible to be a weekend chicken keeper. We currently live in the city but have acreage we go to on the weekends and occasionally during the week. We only know one neighbor in the country and I don't want to ask her to do anything for us.

I have time to plan since we wont be moving out here full time for at least a year, maybe more. But I'm beginning to wonder if I couldn't build a coop like fort knox to keep predators out and automate it enough to keep everyone safe Sunday pm through Friday pm.

I think you could manage the food and water well enough through various systems, the biggest challenge I would think would be poop buildup.

Am I totally crazy to think about this?
 
It could work. Deep litter for the poop should make that manageable as well.

I wonder if leaving the eggs all week might not encourage egg-eating. Broken eggs can make a mess that can draw a raft of flies, if not cleaned in time.

Chris
 
Why not find someone to check on the birds every other day or so? Just cause you don't know anyone now doesn't mean you can't make new friends :) Check the Craigslist and see what 4H or FFA kid is looking for work, or post an add yourself and find someone to go check on them. I think they can be fine for a few days with the correct security and feed/water set up, but I agree if it gets very hot you might get some nasty eggs from them setting there a week. Plus, if something does happen like a waterer fail, you'll come out to a bunch of dead birds---yuck!
 
I've admitted I have an unhealthy obsession and I just need to wait until we move out there and I can care for them myself. :((

I briefly thought about building a tiny backyard coop at home in Dallas but my beloved would flip. I already have 4 dogs that I tote back and forth on weekends. Realistically I don't need any more lives dependent on me than I already have. The birds in Dallas would drive the dogs bat poop crazy.
 

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