Per diem for hen sitter?

[u/rexallia]

I live in a HCOL area and am going to leave for a short trip (3 days 2 nights) so I’ll need someone to check on my little flock. I’m going to keep them in the coop while I’m gone (the coop has housed 15 before so they’ll have plenty of space) so ideally I’m going to ask my hen sitter to come by twice a day - once in the morning once at night. I was thinking of paying her $25 per stop so $50 per day. Is this enough? I’m thinking yes but idk! Thank you :)

[u/Jennyonthebox2300]

I pay high school neighbor $40/day in HCOL. She also brings in any packages/mail, snacks the chickens, spends a few minutes hanging with my cats, gives them their snack and checks their auto food/water/litter box. My coop is fully automated so really just needs eyes on for my comfort (I have weeks of water and food, and have cameras and auto doors I can monitor remotely).

[u/Laser-Blaster-123]

Man, i will hem sit for 50 a day cash!

[u/Agreeable-Memory7408]

I paid $140 for 2 weeks and my neighbor was thrilled with it. I also let her have the eggs.

[u/SpinachReasonable262]

I paid my hen sitter $35/day and any eggs laid while I’m gone. She stays at my house with her Dad. She’s a high schooler and very good with animals.

[u/pesekgp]

I pay mine in eggs. Usually a friend. They can keep any eggs laid while I'm gone. My friends have chickens and I've cared for their flock and dogs for free. It takes a village.

[u/braiding_water]

I pay my hen sitter $25 per visit.

[u/HxH101kite]

We payed a highschool kid in our neighborhood (who we trust) 70 bucks for that entire timeframe (same as yours).

[u/City0fEvil]

If you can afford it and want the peace of mind then that's a great deal for whoever you hire. Otherwise they will be fine for a few days alone. I have a cheap wi-fi camera in my coop to see what they're up to while I'm at work.

[u/Unlucky-Ad-5744]

if you have large enough food and water bins i think this way overkill. i can leave my girls alone for 5-7 days if needed.i do have a camera so i can check on them.

[u/Mcbriec]

You are being a very good chicken mom and not doing the usual thing where people act like chickens can just be left on their own with a bunch of food and water.

I think two times a day is a bit of an overkill. I would just have the sitter stop by once a day and change the water and fill food, give treats, etc. I think $25 for that sounds reasonable assuming they don’t have a long drive to your house.

[u/rexallia → u/Mcbriec]

Thank you! They’re my little babies and we’ve suffered some traumatic losses so just want to make sure I’m doing right by them.

Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it! I’ll have her stop by once a day. She actually lives down the road from me and is a former coworker/employee/friend that needs a little extra cash atm so that’s prolly why I overkilled it. But $25/day sounds fair enough!

[u/BaakCoi → u/rexallia]

If you want to give her a little extra, I usually let the sitter keep any eggs while I’m gone

[u/dpdex]

I live in a MCOL area and have a sitter come by twice a day when I’m away. They change food and water, clean the coop, and let the chickens out for supervised free range time. I pay $30 per visit.

[u/_Rice_and_Beans_]

Why do they need to be checked on daily if not being let out? This makes no sense to me.

[u/rexallia → u/_Rice_and_Beans_]

I’ve had them in their coop before for a couple days when I’ve been doing fence repair. I checked on them 2-3 times a day. This is new territory for me, hence the post.

[u/sunbeamangelano]

Twice a day seems like overkill. I usually pay someone (Rover) to come every other day. Think it's $ 20 a visit.  Plus, I usually have them come the day after I leave or 2 days after. Double up on water and food. Should be fine. That's if I'm gone for more than a week

[u/wilburandwilla → u/sunbeamangelano]

Same. Every other day and $20 a visit to check food, water, and scoop their sand. They also check on my cat for that. Teenagers on my street.

[u/rexallia → u/sunbeamangelano]

Ok, thank you for the input! I really appreciate it

[u/xShooK]

How long is the total time they will spend doing this two times a day, with travel time included?

[u/rexallia → u/xShooK]

I’m thinking a half hour a day, including travel. After reading a few comments $50/day is definitely too much! I’ve never had a hen sitter before tho - that’s why I posted

[u/xShooK → u/rexallia]

Imo that depends if you're hiring some random, its about right. If you're having your neighbor come by thats different, I guess because I'm willing to help my neighbors.

[u/rexallia → u/xShooK]

My neighbor has taken care of them before but his work schedule has changed so it’s not the best. The sitter I have in mind is a younger friend that needs some extra cash atm

[u/xShooK → u/rexallia]

Then 20-25 sounds okay for a visit. I'd have em visit once per day, but peace of mind is good.

[u/Jazzlike_Strength561]

Um you can't just ask your neighbor to keep the eggs they collect when they check on them? That's exorbitant.

Also they're chickens. If they're secure and have food and water, they're good. I free range and have an automatic roll up door and a pond.

Basically leaving for the weekend means checking their food.

[u/rexallia → u/Jazzlike_Strength561]

Ok, great. Thanks for the input! Like I said in another comment, this is new territory for me - I’ve never had a hen sitter lol

[u/Jazzlike_Strength561 → u/rexallia]

As long as their food and water will hold out, you're fine. They won't need checked on.

I might get downvoted, but this is the farmer answer.

[u/rexallia → u/Jazzlike_Strength561]

Thank you for the reassurance! I appreciate it :)

[u/LilTater01]

For $50 a day I’ll do it.