Lock you at home? Get an automatic waterer and feeder, throw in some feed and go on vacation. I've got 25 hens and a rooster and they are good for a week or t

Lock you at home? Get an automatic waterer and feeder, throw in some feed and go on vacation. I've got 25 hens and a rooster and they are good for a week or two on their own. Only problem is if nobody gathers eggs you'll have some broody hens. Don't lay? I get a dozen eggs/day. Use lay crumbles not lay pellets; doing so doubles the output. Enclosure? I used a horse stall for boxes/roosts and have big outside enclosure. Works great. Your comments make sense for a pet like a dog, those do tie you down, but they make no sense for chickens in my experience.