Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[JemmaJemma]

I have an Eglu Cube, and would like to get some hens, but I am airline crew so spend a few days away at a time. For this reason I have held off getting any chickens, although I would love some.

Is it possible to leave chickens for several days at a time, if they are enclosed in a run (and have a Cube to sleep in?) I have a vegetable garden enclosed in a thorny hedgeplant which I would also enclose in extra fencing for added protection against predators. But I only want to get chickens if it is humane to leave them for several days at a time, and if they would be safe in a run without me locking them in their cube at night.

I am only at the research stage at the moment (I won the Cube in a competition) but it has been my dream for many years to have chickens, but only if they won't suffer with me being away several days at a time. I live in rural France and have no neighbours to help.

Many thanks for any help on how long you can leave chickens for. I will buy whatever is necessary for them to be safe and happy, eg automatic feeders, extra fencing etc.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on winning a cube .

 

I'm afraid you can't leave them unattended for more than 2 days, realistically. They need fresh water every day and unless you have very large feeders, they would need topping up too. In addition, their eggs would need collecting or they might get broken and/or eaten.

 

You also really need to keep an eye on them in case of illness/injury/bullying etc.

 

Sorry, that's probably not what you want to hear. Unless you have someone who can help out, I'm not sure it's practical in your circumstances .

[JemmaJemma]

Many thanks for your reply. Yes that's what I thought, but I was sure I'd seen on here about being able to secure them in their run with the Cube, and that you could do it for a few days, as long as they had sufficient fresh water and food. But their welfare comes first, so unless it is fine for them, I won't do it. Many thanks for your reply.

[poppy ben grace]

Hi, what a shame, is there not a friend or neighbour who could keep an eye on them for you?

[sparkysmum]

I reckon if the run was secure and if and only if there was no overcrowding/boredom issues then you could get away with leaving them provided they were checked every day. By this I mean someone responsible who will ensure food, water, health issues. Probably a paid pet sitter, someone who will take their responsibilities seriously.

 

I say this but I am assuming that you would not be away most nights.

 

Alli x

[laurmurf]

I've left my chooks in their cube and run with extra feeders, glugs and superglugs for 3 days 2 nights without anyone checking on them and they were fine. I put in lots and lots of feeders and drinkers - since that's the main problem -and put some ACV in the superglug to keep it fresher. Evaporation was what i worried about, but the superglug was fine. I also fitted boredom busters - peckablocks and dangling cds and lots of perches.

 

You don't need to shut the cube door at night - i never do - and as long as they are in the cube run and secure then they'll be safe.

 

If you know that you'll be longer than 3 days at a time, then it might be more of a problem.