Farm Sitting

What they do

A farm sitter's day is a round: feed and water livestock in an order that keeps dominant animals from stealing rations, check troughs and automatic waterers, collect eggs, muck out or bed down shelters as agreed, and walk fences and gates looking for damage, escapes, or an animal that is off on its own. Evening rounds repeat much of it, ending with every animal counted and shut in safely where required.

The animal range is wide — chickens, ducks, goats, sheep, pigs, alpacas, donkeys, barn cats, and farm dogs — each with its own feed, housing, and handling. A good farm sitter asks for a written round, ideally walks it with you before you leave, and knows the basics that keep animals safe: never feed anything not on the list, keep feed stores secured against rodents and escapees, and isolate and report an animal that is limping, off feed, or being bullied.

Property care is inseparable from animal care here. Sitters monitor water pumps, electric fencing, trough heaters in winter, and ventilation in heat, and they know a dry trough in summer or a frozen pipe is an emergency, not a note for your return. Many stays are live-in for the full trip because the work spans dawn to dark.

Farm sitting differs from horse sitting in breadth rather than depth: the sitter is a capable generalist across species and systems, often with their own smallholding experience. What matters most is reliability, physical fitness, and honesty about limits — a sitter who says they are not confident calving, shearing, or medicating a particular animal is protecting your stock.

Services you can expect

• Morning and evening livestock feeding rounds
• Trough, waterer, and water-system checks
• Egg collection and poultry house care
• Mucking out, bedding, and shelter care
• Fence, gate, and pasture checks
• Goat milking and basic livestock handling by agreement
• Barn cat and farm dog care
• Property checks — pumps, alarms, deliveries, storm damage

What to expect

• A full walk-through round with you before the booking starts
• Every animal counted, fed, and watered on schedule, twice a day
• Problems reported with photos the day they are found — fence, water, or animal
• Feed stores, gates, and poultry housing secured every night
• A daily summary covering stock, eggs, water, and weather issues
• Clear limits agreed in advance for births, illness, or injured animals

How to choose

• Require hands-on experience with the actual species you keep
• Walk the round together and watch them handle your animals and gates
• Ask about water, power, and fencing failures — and what they did when it happened
• Confirm they can stay on site full-time if your round requires it
• Check driving, trailer, or machinery experience only if you are asking for it
• Get references from other smallholders, not just household pet owners

Questions to ask

• Which livestock have you cared for, and on what size of holding?
• Can you walk my full round with me before I go?
• What do you do if you find an animal injured, ill, or missing?
• How do you handle water or power failures?
• Are you comfortable milking, and with my specific animals?
• Who is your backup if you are injured or unwell mid-stay?

Red flags

• House-pet experience only, offered as equivalent to livestock experience
• No interest in a walk-through or written round
• Casual about gates, feed-store security, or nightly shut-in
• Unwilling to discuss limits — claims they can handle any birth or emergency
• No backup plan for a physically demanding, dawn-to-dark role
• Reports that gloss over losses, breakages, or animal problems

What affects the price

• Number and mix of livestock and size of the holding
• Length of daily rounds and whether milking is included
• Live-in requirement and length of stay
• Season — lambing, winter water care, or storm season adds work
• Extra duties such as machinery, gardens, or holiday lets
• Rural travel distance