Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do we bring our chickens over to your house when we go out of town?
A: No! To prevent the spread of disease into our own flocks, we do not keep client’s chickens on our property. We are happy to visit your girls at your location.
Q: Do you bring over snacks or treats for the chickens?
A: We ask that each client provides their girls with snacks, food, extra bedding and any heat lamps or extras they may need in case of emergency.
Q: Do you keep the eggs from chicken-sitting jobs?
A: It depends on the client. Most times we take the eggs ourselves. Other clients prefer we leave them and do provide a place (container in the garage) to keep the eggs out of the weather. We don’t recommend leaving eggs in the nest box.
Q: What do you do if an emergency arises?
A: Before the client leaves on vacation, we go on a pre-visit to meet the chickens and learn their routine. At that time if there is anything special a chicken needs, let us know. Leave us email and/or phone contacts or emergency numbers. We will contact you if something comes up and you can tell us what you want us to do. Chickens are odd little creatures. They can sometimes get themselves into trouble or hide sickness. If we notice a sick chicken or weakness in your coop or run, we will point that out at the time of our initial meeting. We are not responsible for breaches in your coop facilities. We ask that you sign a release form so that we are not held responsible for any unforeseen acts of God, weather or prowling raccoons!
Q: My hen is sitting in the nest box all day. When I check on her she makes a “growling” noise at me. I’m worried she is sick!
A: Most likely she is broody. Broodiness in hens is common. When a hen becomes broody she wants to hatch some eggs. Sadly this won’t happen without a rooster. You have a few options. You can remove her and all eggs (including fake ones) from the nest box daily to allow her to stretch her legs and get a bit to eat. She probably won’t be happy but if you want to break her of her broodiness, this is necessary. You may have to remove her several times a day as broody hens tend to be persistent. The other option is to put a few fertilized eggs under her to hatch. Obviously there are a few things to think about if you do this. Do you have room for the extra birds or do you have a place to send them once they are big enough and mother hen has finished raising them? What will you do with the roosters if you choose to keep a few chicks?
Q: All my hen’s feathers are falling out and they look completely naked!
A: Your hens are most likely molting. This happens once a year. They drop their feathers and grow back new one. They can be a bit cranky at this time. We imagine it feels like shaving off a beard or shaving your head and having the hair grow back. A nice thing to do is offer them some wet cat food (non-poultry based) or some extra protein of some sort to help them grow their feathers back quicker.
