kazaddress Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 has anyone thought of setting up a scheme for people to look after each others chickens whilst other omleters go on holiday? think it might take off well. we could also try and get local farmers interested too. (as in they might be willing to care for the chooks) might encourage more people to take up the omlet, if they knew there was a scheme for pet care. whilst away! kaz x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 Good idea Kaz - there was a thread on this somewhere last year, but I don't think there were masses of replies. Perhap sit needs dividing into sections for different areas and lists of people within those areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocchick Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 What a great idea, and chance to be with more chickens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kazaddress Posted January 28, 2006 Author Share Posted January 28, 2006 I posted it last year and no one posted/ What I was proposing was people to offer their services on a map similar to that of the "meet an eglu owner". then state how many chickens they could house.. or if the could acomodate extra as long as the eglu as well as the chickens is handed over (some people might be able to home 1 or 2 chooks in existing eglu's) If this takes off. maybe in the future, we could organise a simila scheme for fostering chooks untill they find a new home. (i.e. when rescuing battery hens, they could distribtue the chooks between the fosterers, and then have them added to a central register).. then people in the local area can give a perminant home chooks which have been fostered localaly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachel19 Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 Thats a great idea - im sure loads of people would be willing to chicken sit, i'd definately be up for it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocchick Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 The map could work, you need someone like superkate to agree to it now. Would your 3 chickens manage OK in the eglu run for 2-3 days if you went away? I'm dying for a third. We have the pen for the day, but would want them locked in the eglu run at night, and that would mean someone visiting twice a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleHen Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 I'm lucky as my parents are used to looking after my cats when I'm away - so adding a couple of chooks with free eggs is no problem I would be willing to take care of someone else's chooks as long as they weren't too far away - so a map would be ideal, think I'm already on the visit an Eglu Owner map - but no visitors yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kazaddress Posted January 28, 2006 Author Share Posted January 28, 2006 TBH the 3 chooks stay in the run even when the back door is open! they are always eating / drinking anyway! i use both peanuts as feeders and a large plantpot sunk in the ground for water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 It's a good idea Kaz, but I think that in most instances the eglu would have to go with the chickens- it wouldn't be worth all the grief of introducing new chickens just for a 2 week holiday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocchick Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 I agree you wouldn't mix the chickens, but you could have your chickens looked after by a chicken person in their omlet run, and possibly freerange a bit separately. Could be a little tricky to transport, we had to collect our eglu in two goes and OH has a Seat Toledo which is pretty big. I think we were just about 1-2cm width too narrow for the run bit to go in the boot, as eglu is an interesting shape to fit in. Maybe if there was only one of us in the car it may work, and of course if it was only somewhere in Sheffield 2 runs in the car may not be two bad. If it is just a case of someone popping in once or twice e.g. over Christmas, then we have several volunteers. Our next door neighbour called our chickens cute last week and was trying to tempt the escapees back to their pen with bread thrown over the fence. Could be a possibility, and would be so easy to pop next door once/twice a day just to open the various pen/eglu doors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley-Jean Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 I think it is a brilliant Idea A map would be very useful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel (& Paul) Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 And, of course for those lucky people like Lesley you could actually arrange holidays in each others houses (I am sure Lesley and family would love to stay in a townie house with only a few chickens, whilst some lucky family would get to do the good life thing in hers) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Hmmmmmmm......... - I'm still thinking about that one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...