Looking to go for a slightly longer holiday in autumn and I am loathe to leave my girls for more than a few days. No-one near me keeps chickens (as far as I am aware) - but I would really appreciate setting up an arrangement whereby I could cover for someone else or pay someone knowledgeable in the ways of chickens. Recently one of my girls would have suffered and died if someone had been looking after them who didn't know basic information about them. Anyone feel the same as I do and would like to share cover?
Holiday Cover Needed - Sherwood area
- Thread starter Henrietta
- Start date
If you can't find a local chicken keeper, you might consider training up a teenager and paying them pocket money when you're away. I'm lucky that I have a friend three doors away who keeps chickens, with a 15-year-old daughter who looks after mine when we go away. She's reliable and sensible, and I pay her £15 for a week's care, with a small bonus if I find everything clean and tidy and the birds happy when I get back - which so far she has always earned. In her case, she does have her knowledgeable father as backup if a problem occurs, but I give her my mobile number and email address so she can contact me if she needs - she never has. Before a holiday I go through with her exactly what I want her to do, and when, and where everything is kept, plus vets contact details, in writing. She likes the chickens and says that being trusted to look after them is good for her CV! If you think this might be OK, you could start by asking neighbours if they knew of anyone who might be happy to help - you might get adult help this way, lots of people are interested in chickens and would actually enjoy trying out keeping them before taking the plunge themselves. For adults, eggs during your holiday, plus a good bottle or two of wine on your return, always goes down well. Actually, I got back into chickens a few years ago, after a long break, by volunteering to look after my friend's birds when he went away, I realised how much I had missed having them around.
Yes......thank you. These are good ideas and I will advertise locally and see if there are chicken keepers around where a mutual arrangement could be in order or, as you suggest, train up someone (maybe even better).....will ask around. Thanks for the many thoughts!
