A Checklist for Chicken Care While You’re on Vacation
Summer is in full swing, and you’re dreaming of a relaxing getaway... ☀️✈️
BUT you have a backyard full of birds who depend on you. 🐔 And you're wondering if backyard chicken keepers can travel?
Whether it's a long weekend or a long-distance getaway, the answer is yes! With the right supplies and some thoughtful planning, preparing your chickens for your vacation is even easier than fitting everything into your suitcase.
In this blog, our EGGsperts will provide a step-by-step roadmap to making sure your chickens have a happy, healthy, and safe stay-cay. 🗺️
1. Clean the Coop - Fresh Chicken Coop Bedding Before Travel
A few days before you hit the road, give your chicken coop a full clean-out:
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Remove all soiled bedding from the floor, nesting boxes, and other surfaces of your chicken coop and run.
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Clean and disinfect all surfaces, especially roosting bars and nesting boxes.
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Replace the bedding - choose a long-lasting ultra-absorbent chicken coop bedding, such as RentACoop’s premium Hemp Bedding.
2. Do a Quick Health Check - Chicken Health Checks Before Travel
Anytime is a good time for a chicken checkup, but it’s especially important to identify and manage any health issues before leaving for a trip.
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A chicken health check begins with making sure there are no injuries or signs of illness.
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Check for clean vents, healthy feathers, bright eyes, and colorful combs.
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Examine legs and feet closely.
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Feel for a healthy crop and abdomen.
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Monitor your flock closely in the days before you leave for normal eating, drinking, and laying behavior.
✨ Pro tip: Keep a stocked chicken first aid kit in your coop, in case your chicken-sitter needs it!
3. Meal Prep - Large Capacity Chicken Feeders and Waterers for Travel
If you aren’t sure how much food and water your chickens consume in a day or week, pay close attention in the weeks before your vacation. You’ll want to have more than enough chicken feed on hand for the time you're away.
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Use a large capacity poultry feeder to reduce daily maintenance. RentACoop’s poultry feeders are designed to minimize waste and keep feed clean and dry.
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Make sure your flock stays hydrated with a large capacity, no-drip poultry waterer. RentACoop’s 5 Gallon Waterer with Horizontal Nipples provides days of clean, fresh water - and peace of mind.
✨ Pro tip: For summertime travel, freeze water bottles ahead of time so your chicken-sitter has an easy way to keep your flock's water cool.
4. Get the Gear - Essential Chicken Coop Supplies for Travel
At RentACoop, we’re dedicated to making the experience of raising backyard chickens and other animals easier and more enjoyable, providing solutions and peace of mind for every day – even when you're away.
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Roll-out Nesting Boxes are an ideal egg collection solution for travel - keeping eggs clean and preventing egg eating – especially when you aren’t home to catch them in the act! RentACoop’s Roll-Out Reversible Nesting Box Efficiency and Suite have larger trays that hold more eggs, which is ideal for the occasional delay or missed collection day.
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Enrichment is especially important when chickens are cooped up for longer periods of time. RentACoop’s Large and Small Treat Dispensers provide HENtertainment and reduce boredom and bullying. Your chicken-sitter can fill up the tubes daily for a more enjoyable stay-cation for your flock!
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If you have a sizeable flock, or are going to be away for multiple days, your chicken-sitter is going to need somewhere to put the bounty of eggs your hens will produce. RentACoop’s Stackable Egg Collection Trays fit standard 5 gallon buckets and can hold a whopping 112 eggs! The eggs can be collected, transported, and stored securely in the 7 stackable trays, and as a bonus, it’s easy to remember that the eggs in the bottom tray are the oldest!
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For a larger flock or an extended vacation, you might need more than a standard waterer or feeder will hold. RentACoop's DIY Series products are easy to assemble and completely customizable, allowing you to create the chicken watering system that’s perfect for your needs! For travel, you could pair any of our poultry drinking attachments or feeder ports with a large capacity container, such as a 55 gallon barrel, or you could set up a fully automated watering system with RentACoop's S.N.A.P. Watering System and Float Valve Kit.
5. Flock on Lock - Keeping Chickens Safe While You Travel
Inspect your coop and run carefully to make sure your flock is safe and secure while you’re away.
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Check all screens, wire, and windows to make sure there are no openings or holes.
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Test coop doors, latches, and other hardware to make sure everything is functional and secure.
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If you free-range your flock, consider moving them into a secure run while you’re away.
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Check the perimeter of your chicken run or yard, and install electric poultry fencing for an extra layer of protection. RentACoop’s portable electric poultry netting is easy to set up as a temporary solution and can be moved or expanded as needed.
6. Automate Where You Can - Using Technology While You Travel
As they say... work smarter, so you don‘t have to work harder. Automated chicken coop supplies can be a lifesaver!
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Install timers for lights or fans to keep routines consistent.
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Add a Wi-Fi coop camera to your coop or run so you can check on your flock anytime.
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Consider an automatic coop door that opens at dawn and closes at dusk.
✨ Pro tip: Test any tech or systems at least a week in advance. And remember, technology is never fail-safe. Make sure you have a backup plan!
7. Find a Chicken-Sitter - Essential for Chicken Vacation Care
Speaking of a backup plan, even the most automated chicken coop needs to be monitored and maintained. Consider hiring a house or farm sitter, or ask a trusted neighbor or friend to stop by once a day to do the basics:
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Make sure feeders and waterers are full and operating properly. Refill as needed!
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Check on the flock and make sure they are eating, drinking, laying, and comfortable. Note any issues.
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Collect the eggs! And of course - fresh eggs are the perfect way to say thank you to friends for looking after your flock.
✨ Pro tip: Print out a "Chicken Vacation and Emergency Plan" for your sitter. Include your contact info, your emergency vet’s number, and instructions for feeding, collecting eggs, and locking up the coop.
And now, your vacation countdown can begin! Our team at RentACoop is here to help you and your chickens live your best lives with tips for chicken vacation prep and a range of innovative poultry products!
Bon voyage from all of us at RentACoop! 🧳🐓🌴
For product questions and chicken vacation care support, please reach out to our EGGsperts at info@rentacoop.com anytime!