Beta Beta — hiring neighbors on Papalocal is new; what you see here is real, and it's still growing.
Egg collection and chicken or goat sitting Beta
A neighbor collects eggs, feeds and waters your chickens, ducks or goats, and shuts the coop at night while you're away or busy.
- How often
- Daily or trips
- Where the work happens
- Outdoors
- Who it suits
- Often a good fit for a responsible teen
These open your Papalocal account. You'll be asked to log in or sign up first.
Backyard flocks and small goat herds need someone every day: open the coop in the morning, top off feed and water, collect eggs, check that everyone is moving and eating, and lock up at dusk before predators come out.
Families with a few hens, homesteaders with dairy goats, and anyone heading out of town for a weekend want someone who will actually remember to close the coop door. Some owners also want help on long workdays when they won't be home before dark.
It is one of the gentler farm jobs, which makes it a good first job for a responsible teen with a parent's OK, and a neighbor who lives close can make the evening lock-up on time.
Also called: chicken sitter, goat sitter, backyard chicken care while on vacation, egg collecting help, who can watch my chickens, poultry sitter.
What's usually included
- Letting the birds out in the morning and locking up at dusk
- Feed and fresh water for chickens, ducks or goats
- Collecting and storing eggs the way the owner asks
- A head count and a look for injured or sick animals
- Hay and minerals for goats, and a look at their fence
- Milking, only if the sitter knows how and it's agreed
What to ask before you hire
- What time should the coop be closed, and how does it latch?
- How many birds and goats are there, so the sitter can count them?
- Are the eggs the sitter's to keep, or should they be saved for you?
- Are any goats in milk, and does the job include milking?
- Which goats are escape artists, and where are the weak spots in the fence?
Staying safe
- Poultry can carry germs that make people sick, so wash hands after handling birds, eggs or bedding, and keep young children from kissing chicks.
- Goats butt and jump, so don't turn your back on a buck, and keep gates latched behind you.
- Lock the coop fully at dusk, since raccoons, foxes and dogs can work open a loose latch.
Egg collection and chicken or goat sitting by town
Questions people ask
Can my teenager take care of a neighbor's chickens?
Chicken sitting is a gentle first job for a responsible teen with a parent's OK. A parent should go along the first time to be sure they can manage the latches and the goats.
What do I do with the eggs?
Agree up front. Some owners let the sitter keep them as a thank-you; others want them collected, dated and put in the fridge.
What if a chicken dies while I'm sitting?
It happens, even with good care. Tell the owner right away, and ask before the trip what they would like done.
Do goats need someone twice a day?
Usually, for feed, water and a check, and goats in milk need milking on schedule. The owner will say what their herd needs.
Thinking of offering this yourself?
- Learn how to spot a sick hen: hunched, puffed up, not eating, or hiding away from the flock.
- Send the owner a quick photo of the whole flock each day.
- Charge per visit or per day; start from what pet sitters near you ask, adjust for the drive and the chores, and choose your price.
- Families with chickens tend to travel during the same summer and holiday weeks each year, so a sitter they could rely on gets asked back.
- Keep a simple calendar of who needs you when, so two flocks never need locking up at the same dusk.
