High egg-spectations! What is chicken sitting?

If you’re a poultry parent on the go, you could do with some chicken sitting! Whether you’re the carer of backyard chickens, a coop or two, or even a whole barn of beaks, a chicken sitter can provide in-home care and security when you need to fly the coop.

We’re going to lay down the facts about what chicken sitting is, what to expect from a chicken sitter, and how to go about finding your fellow feathered friend.

What is chicken sitting?

Chicken sitting refers to in-home care of your pet poultry while you’re away from home or on vacation. Their job is to take care of and keep your feather family safe, as well as perform any additional chicken chores that might be needed each day or week. At TrustedHousesitters, this won’t cost members anything extra, the only exchange is through trust - your chickens have round-the-clock care, and they have a cozy home to stay in.

Do I need a chicken sitter?

Cluckers are very happy occupying themselves, they don’t need the same sort of puzzles and games as other bird besties, but they still need a lot of care and love. Pet sitting outdoor animals comes with its own list of responsibilities and chores.

As chickens can be counted as farm animal sitting, you can search for an expert who has egg-sperience with all farm animals, not just chickens and waterfowl. If your chicks need to be let out in the morning, put away safely at night, and have their coop checked throughout the day, a chicken sitter provides in-home care for your flock.

How to find a chicken sitter

A chicken sitter through TrustedHousesitters

We love all types of pets, including our poultry pals! An in-home sitter can be there to keep your feathered family safe and cared for while you’re away, as well as send you regular updates if you want them. Our search function allows you to find sitters who have handled birds or farm animals before, along with a list of their experience and recommendations. Some of our chicken sitters may be in your local area or down the road from you!

You can either start by setting up a chicken sitting request to ask for sitters to send in applications, or you can do your own searching and see who’s already available. Every sitter is verified before they even make their profile, as well as being a certified animal lover!

Find a paid professional poultry person

Of course, there are services where you can pay for a trained and vetter animal handler to come in and check on your chickies each day while you’re away. Chicken sitters can pop by once or twice a day to feed and water your chickens, as well as egg collect and check up on their wellbeing. Many places offer cleaning for a small additional cost, and you’ll be looking at paying around $10 or £10 a day as a base rate.

A professional chicken sitter (yes, this is a real job) will know how to care for and handle your flock, spot any signs of illness, and know how to keep them as calm and stress-free as possible while you’re away.

For first-time pet parent members, we know those starter sits can be a bit nerve-wracking, so head over to our Community Forum to connect with other poultry parents. They can offer first-hand experience of how they’ve found chicken sitting and their preferred choice of chicken care.

If you’re a poultry parent who’s keen to find an expert chicken sitter, check out all the farm sitters currently available near you. Or if you’re seeking a sitter who simply loves birds, have a look at which local bird sitters are free to flock to your chicken coop.