[spaulaj]

I have 4 girlies, Polly, Dora, Cutie Pie and Nuggett  :roll: . At present they have the top half of my garden fenced off (approx 10x10m) and they have a great time trashing the garden, I put them away every night to keep them safe, anyway................with the holiday season coming up, we want to take the kids away for a week, as I have no one to help out with the chickens whilst we are away   , I have to think of a plan!! I am tempted to buy a super sexy house and huge run and hope they like it. Am i being really nasty making them downsize to a run from the range of the garden (unfit mother) :roll: . Will Dora, Cutie Pie, Polly and Nuggett ever talk to me again or will they adapt happily. Any suggestions please.  paula

[Selkie]

I don't think it would be safe to leave them to their own devices in a run/house for a week unless you had some kind of automatic doodah for opening/shutting the door, doing the food/water etc...

[spaulaj]

i have a neighbour who will sort out the food and water everyother day and the run will have electric fence round it, the issue i have is with the downsizing....................how well will they adapt, i don't want to upset them, they are my pals  :cry:

[Selkie]

That's ok but you didn't say that in your original post.

[Aunt Sally]

How big is the new run and house going to be spaulaj.

For 4 hens is should be at least 4 square metres.  It sounds as if you intend to give them more space that that.  As long as they have feed and fresh water and their eggs collected they should be just fine while you are away  

[richyrich7]

Biggest problem is you need someone to pop in everyday to make sure they are OK and like Rosie says feed and water them, collect the eggs why not offer all the eggs that week to the lucky keeper    

Make 'em a smaller covered run that's secure and you could leave the pop hole open at night, but your've really got to make sure foxy loxy can't dig or blow his way in    a covered run of about 10 x 4 would be more than adequate IMHO depending on how big the coop is?. Just get them used to it for a few days before hand make it interesting add bark chippings logs for them to jump/climb on etc and a nice dustbath.

[Selkie]

When are you planning on going away, because if the neighbour can only come every other day I'd still be a bit worried incase they ran out of water on a hot day or whatever...

When we do get to go away (which isn't too often) my Mum and Dad come up at least twice a day - to let the hens out and feed them (and the cats), also to clean up, collect eggs -- then they come back in the evening to shut them in and check everything's ok.

I personally wouldn't be happy with them being checked every other day :?

[chickychick]

I wouldnt worry about them running out of water, just leave some nice big buckets full of water in the run and they should be fine.  

Not sure about the fox, but as far as putting them in a run after being free, if you have to you have to! They will probably go up and down the fence looking all upset at you but that cant be helped can it.  

They will adapt after a short while and forget that they used to be out there all the time.  Mine tend to get a lot more freedom at the weekend and on monday they sulk a bit but by wednesday they are their usual selves again.

They must be happy though cause they are laying every day

[spaulaj]

Thanks chickychick, your reasurance has made me feel abit happier, I was thinking about cancelling the holiday but I think I was over reacting abit   . I know they will sulk for a while, they sulk if i go into the garden to hang the washing out and ignore them but they soon get over it.

[Selkie]

I wouldnt worry about them running out of water, just leave some nice big buckets full of water in the run and they should be fine.  

I don't want to go on about it but how can a hen drink out of a bucket? :?

[spaulaj]

I don't think chickychic meant a bucket literally, I know what he means though, I have the odd plant pot, seed tray etc in the garden and if the chickens find it they will quite happily drink the collected rain water rather than the fresh water in their drinking thingy. They will drink out of anything if they can manage it.

[SnooziSuzi]

my hens drink rather sucessfully out of a bucket;  Hen walks up to bucket full of water, puts head in and drinks.  hey presto!  a hen drinking from a bucket!  

[Aunt Sally]

Hens are quite tall and have very long bendy necks  

I'm surethey'll be fine being checked every two days  :!: