What happens when they realize I'm not dead?

[Chocobo]

I am going on a two week vacation and getting some chicken sitters to watch my seven-week old chicks. From what I understand my chicks will essentially assume I'm dead after a few days.
What happens when I show back up?
How will they react to my sudden absence?

 

[yinepu]

I don't know who ever told you that.. but in my experience they won't think you're dead

as to how they will react.. well.. that all depends on how much they trust you and relate to you now

 

[duniganb357]

wow! um i dont know.

if they are that young i would take them with me

but in your case thats not an option.

i dont know what will happen but hopefully you will get a reply from someone that does!

have a nice vaca!!

 

[snomonkey33]

They will assume you're dead and when you return they will assume you're a zombie and will turn against you.

Seriously, they will be fine. I have left my chickens with sitters for weeks due to zoning ordinance issues and they behave the same way afterwards as they did beforehand. Not that they ever showed anything resembling affinity for me. They usually tend to prefer hanging out with my dog to myself. Probably because she doesn't pick them up. Don't over think it by putting them in context, the chickens have small brains and will react to their environment. Thats why I love them.

 

[ck_dunham]

The way I see it is that at 7 weeks your just about to go into what is known as the teenage weeks before 22 weeks that they mellow out a bit. Any way soon enough they will start treating you like GODZILA and they are Japan. I would not worry, as soon as you are back and feeding them treats again they will know who you are. But like I said, at some point after 22 weeks or so they will become a lot easier to work with.

 

[ReikiStar]

They'll think you've just gone broody and when off to raise your chicks.

Seriously though...if you've spent a lot of time with your chicks and have your own "voice" or language you use with them, when you come back and start talking to them the same old way, the wheels in their chicken brains will dust off at the familiar sound and they will remember you. 7 weeks...it might take a few days, but it will come back to them.

 

[Dutchgirl]

Are you bonded to them? Do they think you are their mother? Otherwise they won't care a single bit, and even so they probably won't care.

Chicks can be very particular about their mother hen, but if they have a human mother they often couldn't care less who took care of them.

They most likely won't even notice you're gone. (That was meant as reassurance, not insult.

)

 

[MinxFox]

I don't have a chicken chick, but I have a peachick (peacock) and as much as I wish I could stay home with it I have been going on a bunch of trips, in fact another trip starting this Sunday...I hatched this peachick and it is imprinted to me. It follows me around and cries when I am not nearby. It probably is even more attached to me because it doesn't have any other chicks to hang with. I think your chicks will be okay since they have each other. Even though my peachick is attached to me it will follow around anyone it just loves people so they probably will be fine with the chick sitters. When I returned from a recent trip my peachick acted like it didn't know me. I reached into the pen to hold it and it started shaking and running away from my hands. When I took it out it wouldn't follow me around anymore. After a few days though the peachick is once again following me around, crying for me, and really likes it when I take it out of the pen and hold it.

I hope you don't worry about the chicks too much while you are gone just have fun on your trip.

 

[N&MSchroeder]

I went overseas for 12 days when my chicks were about this age. When I returned, I couldn't believe how much they had grown.

Their peeps had changed to clucks. Awww. I sat down with them and they climbed all over me, so nothing changed at all. However, I did notice that their pecks were a little harder that first day home (and only that day).

 

[Chocobo]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone.