# How much?



## goatyyymama164 (Mar 22, 2021)

I don't know if this is the best place to put this thread but oh well. We are going on a camping trip with a few of our friends from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, I was wondering how much y'all pay someone to take care of your animals. We have one feeder pig, 2 pet goats (we do not milk them), 2 turkeys in their own pen, 2 pens = 30 chickens, 2 outdoor dogs, 1 indoor dog, and 3 outdoor cats. They get feed twice a day and given water when needed. I am not going to pay them hourly just for the whole day. Thanks!


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## B&B Happy goats (Mar 22, 2021)

Interesting question, ...my neighbor  and I just do it for each other when needed...a friend, probably a nice gift that you know they would like,..... a stranger, ummm I probably would pay $15 per day if they traveled less than ten miles....I suppose it would also depend on your local economy,


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## farmerjan (Mar 22, 2021)

I used to "farm sit".... I would go in the morning, let the chickens out, feed and water whatever, check everyone.  Go back late in the day and lock up etc.  It was about 5-6 miles from me.  I got $10.00 a trip so $20.00 a day;  took about an hour each time.  This was 10 years ago.  It is a pain to break up your day to make 2 trips for no more than an hour or so at a time.  And I had to time it to be there before dark, and stay til the chickens were in to close up,  or there would be chicken buffet for the raccoons and foxes.  
I used to do some fill in milking for one farmer.... got $50 a trip..... milking 20 head,  and feeding the couple of baby calves..... 2+ hours at a time,  and that was 30 miles away.... 
How long does it take you to do chores?  Double the time for someone "new" that it is not a "second nature" routine to do......What do you figure an hourly wage is worth?   How much do your animals mean to you?  What would it cost to just board your dogs/cats at a kennel?????  How far do they have to travel to come do it?????  What would you want to get paid to do it for someone else ??????


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## Finnie (Mar 23, 2021)

These are good questions. I once had a person from Rover.com come to give me an estimate. I showed her everything, she went home and worked out an estimate. Emailed it to me, and it was ridiculous. She had made an amount for each animal per visit, and with 3 visits per day (because of indoor dogs), it came to about $400 per DAY! She said she had to make up for taking the week off from her regular full time job. Hello?! That’s not how you pet/farm sit! Needless to say, I didn’t hire her, and I doubt anyone else would have either.

Anyway, in the past, I have paid anywhere from $16/visit to $30/visit, depending on how hard I felt the job was at the time. It’s always at least two visits per day because the chickens need to be let out in morning and locked up at night. And if the house dogs aren’t going to the kennel, then they need one or two more potty breaks.


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## goatyyymama164 (Mar 23, 2021)

Thanks everyone!


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## CLSranch (Mar 23, 2021)

If you figure hourly I'm not driving anywhere for 1 hr. I've looked at Rover one time while it was $30 or so for each visit. I also looked at kenneling them at a vet and it was over $100 a night. I wouldn't pay that although I did give someone $100 for a week of watching my dog while I flew home. I'd go $15-20 a visit and you'd probably need a friend who lives close.
  Also at the time the vet wouldn't keep them without a copy of the shot record including kennel cough. They also said it was over a month before they could get him in then 4 wk wait for a booster shot for the kennel cough then another 2 wks before they would keep him. I got him at 9 mths old and I didn't have his record available and I like to do all the shots at home anyway. 
 Hope this helps and doesn't break your budget.


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## Alaskan (Mar 26, 2021)

I always parcel the animals out as much as possible...  and neighbors do the daily egg gathering,  and milking when I had milk goats...  I paid them nothing,  they got to keep the milk and eggs. 

But, they live right next door.


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## goatyyymama164 (Apr 4, 2021)

Thanks everyone we got it figured out and wee had an amazing trip!


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## farmerjan (Apr 4, 2021)

so tell us what you came up with for future possibilities for someone else...


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## CLSranch (Apr 4, 2021)

goatyyymama164 said:


> Thanks everyone we got it figured out and wee had an amazing trip!


Glad you got to enjoy your trip. I know it can take the fun out if you have to spend your budget before you leave, just so you can leave.


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## promiseacres (Apr 5, 2021)

10-15 a trip and we round up. Usually a nearby teen or neighbor does them. We have 30 ish bunnies, 7 horses/ponies and 2 house cats, and 1 house dog. The otherdog will usually go with.


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## goatyyymama164 (Apr 8, 2021)

We decided $35 a trip. We didn't realize how much work it was until we showed him how to do it all. Watering and making sure ALL of our plants didn't die is a lot more work than we thought.


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## CLSranch (Apr 8, 2021)

goatyyymama164 said:


> a lot more work than we thought.


 When it's not spread out and you have to show someone all at once.

 Sounds like a fair price.


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## Finnie (Apr 8, 2021)

goatyyymama164 said:


> We didn't realize how much work it was until we showed him how to do it all.


That’s the part where I start thinking of paying a higher wage.


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## farmerjan (Apr 8, 2021)

So much of what we as farmers do, is by habit and instinct, that it is really amazing how much we actually do without conscious thought.  And we tend to multi task without thinking about it after awhile too....
Glad that you got everything worked out and had a good "vacation"


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