What to do when you go away?

[MBH]

Hi I am new to owning chickens we have 3 girls 1 Americana and 2 Olive Eggers (we think!). They are just 6 months old and only 1 is laying (or was until the days became too short). My question is what to do when you go away?? We have a small coop with 2 egg boxes and an inner run that leads to a bigger 5msq run full fenced. We want to go away for 5 days but have never left the girls unattended we usually check their water and food each morning and night when we open the coop door to the rest of the run. Is it ok to leave them with the coop door open the whole time and leave them two water sources and two food sources..?? Will the food attract predators? Are they ok with that coop door open if it's only 5c at night? Any advice would be great! * we do let them free range most days when we are home*

 

[sourland]

I use a licensed pet caretaker. Prior to the first trip she came to the house and I showed her what to do. I leave a detailed instruction sheet, and she is very dependable. You might also try contacting your local 4 H and getting the name of a recommended kid with animal care experience. I think that leaving them unattended for 5 days might lead to heartbreak.

 

[MBH]

Shoot I was wondering that, I got a quote and it's $30/ day for someone to come since it would be 2x per day once to let them out then let them in.

 

[orchid lady]

Shoot I was wondering that, I got a quote and it's $30/ day for someone to come since it would be 2x per day once to let them out then let them in.

Do you have any neighbors you can trust? Or close friends? I am worried about the same thing--told my husband we could only go away for a weekend.

 

[Rubysword]

When my family travels, we ask some of our neighbors to take care of them. We've been blessed with really nice neighbors. We show them how to take care of them, and we haven't had any problems yet.

 

[skysfarm03]

My chickens free range and we live out in the woods and rarely have a problem with predators, so when we leave for vacation sometimes, we just leave food and water down. Or you can get a pet sitter or have neighbors, friends, or family check up on them.
If you think you might have a problem with predators I would just leave them in there pen.

 

[AllynTal]

Leaving the coop open is just asking for trouble. The chickens are fine in 5C temps, but predators would be your major concern. And yes, they'd be attracted by the excess amount of food even if not for the live birds.

If you have some kind of agricultural club near you, like a 4H group or such as that, you can contact them to see if you can get a responsible member to come over everyday to tend to the birds. Instead of paying $30 a day, a teen might do it for $30 or $50 for the whole week. A neighbor might do it for the eggs and it's nice to have a neighbor that you can trade favors with.

 

[RonP]

Due to personal health issues, at times I am unexpectedly kept from my birds.

I must insure that my flock is prepared for my absence at all times. I do not trust their care to others...

That said, my coop and feeders are designed for unexpected long term absences.

I designed the coop and feeders for 30 plus day survival. My run is as secure as my coop, thus access 24/7.

Other than many discarded eggs, the birds and coop were fine after a 3 week absence just this year.

I missed them more than they me...

 

[rosemarythyme]

I had my neighbor come over to open and close up the coop and collect eggs - didn't cost me anything out of pocket, and she got a dozen free eggs. SInce I know my feeder will hold 4 days worth of food and the waterer will hold over a week's worth of water, to keep things as simple as possible I didn't ask her to feed or water them. Normally I wouldn't leave the feed overnight due to pests but for a few days it was fine leaving it out.

 

[eatbeef14]

I have a family member or a nieghbor come over and tend to them.