Flock sitting service lets backyard chicken owners fly the coop

The Richfield couple started their own flock-sitting service after they had a hard time finding someone to take care of their ducks when they were out of town. With more people in urban areas of the Twin Cities owning their own chickens, they figured they were not alone.

The couple has owned ducks for years and have cared for chickens, too. They're backyard is complete with an elaborate coop with ponds and play areas for their ducks.

"The individual personalities kind of makes it more like a pet than like a farm animal," Craig said.

But with any pet, they learned vacations pose a problem. They figured other flock owners may have the same issue, which is why they started their flock-sitting business.

"For most properties we don't go every single day, it's usually maybe three or four days while the owners are gone, checking in and kind of cleaning up, collecting eggs, making sure everybody's safe. We have a good idea of what it looks like if a chicken or a duck is not feeling right," Craig said.

They share photos with the owners of their adventures while they're away.

"I think a lot of people are excited for the idea of having us like in their back pocket," Dana said.

The couple also offers duck encounters, allowing families to come over and interact with ducks before committing to owning one of their own.

"They can come over and we like put out blankets, we hang out with the ducks and we did a couple times where we like would dig in the dirt and find worms, and that's been really fun," she said.

They hope their business can help connect a growing community of urban backyard flock owners who also need to fly the coop from time to time.

"There's so many of us around that don't have that community that it kind of allows us to start having some conversations and learn from each other," Craig said.

The couple says they follow biosecurity measures to prevent spreading any illnesses from flock to flock. They also gather veterinarian information in case of emergency.

“I read something last week that said — at least for millennials maybe — that pets are the new kids and plants are the new pets,” Craig said. 

Now, for $50, a group of five can spend 30-45 minutes getting some waterbird TLC. That includes holding, petting and feeding the ducks, along with digging for worms, getting a coop tour and learning about their care. Craig Heinen says it’s perfect for everyone, whether a bird owner looking to expand their flock or an intrigued child wanting to learn about pets beyond your average cat or dog. 

And, as 9-year-old Rory, almost-2-year-old Ender and their nanny Daniella learned, such a visit is simply delightful. 

As for our flock, these goofballs all have distinct personalities, favorite toys & treats, and have even learned a few words. In particular, Chelan likes going “outside the big fence” and has picked up on what it means when I say “You wanna go out front?!”. We have a description of each of our ducks on the ‘Our Flock & Coop’ section of our website where we go into more detail on each of our flock members.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Education will always be a focus of ours. Many cities don’t have many (if any) requirements for owning backyard fowl, and that leads to problems like predator attacks, poor nutrition, overcrowding, illnesses/disease, and other preventable issues that can manifest in a short period of time. Part of the reason is that the cost of getting chickens and ducks can be quite low, especially compared to more traditional pets like cats and dogs. The good news is that more cities are starting to require education and permits as a part of their city codes and that does a great deal to reduce unfavorable outcomes for pets and their families.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
If you own chickens, ducks, or other birds and need someone to help care for them for a day, a week, or longer, we are here to help! We are based out of Richfield, MN and offer chicken sitting, duck sitting, and other bird/small-pet sitting services throughout the Twin Cities. We also offer a comprehensive suite of flock, coop, and yard services to ensure your birds have everything they need while you’re home or traveling. You can reach out to us by using the information on our ‘Contact Us’ page or by booking one of our services. As chicken and duck caregivers, we believe in being good stewards to animals, the earth, and to each other.

We also do ‘Duck Encounters’ in the spring and summer where we hosts groups of up to 5 people in our yard. Groups get to meet each member of our flock and learn about their habits and routines. They will get to interact and pet them (their feathers are very soft). Ducks tend to like a wide variety of bugs, worms, and garden vegetables. Our entire flock enjoys meal worms and lettuce. Lefse’s favorite treats are garden-grown cherry tomatoes, and we will have some treats on hand for you to feed them. We will also tour the coop and run along with the ducks “summer home” and forts.

Lastly, we started offering/doing a couple new things this year:
1) Backyard Chicken Keeping Classes – Minneapolis and several nearby cities require these classes as a condition of acquiring a permit. We offer ours in-person a few times a year.
2) Egg Hunt – This last spring he had our first egg hunt. One golden egg was hidden in the TC area for anyone to find. This year’s egg was hidden in Bloomington and the finders won $100 plus gifts from EggPlant Supply & Bloomington Farm & Feed. We are looking at doing another hunt soon!

What matters most to you? Why?
There are so many things that matter to us: our friends and family, our sustainability work, being part of a caring community, and (of course) our pets. If I was asked this question a year ago, I probably would have picked one of those things. However what matters most to us right now is our freedom of speech and the continuation of our democracy. The ability to feel safe in public, to think critically and to be unafraid to speak up; to be ourselves without apology or fear. The right to feel supported, loved, and accepted by our fellow humans, and the ability to hold those accountable who seek to divide and derail.

“We” is what matters most to “us”

Hi Craig, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.

Hello, we are Dana and Craig Heinen, the owners of Flock Sitting MN. We live in Richfield, Minnesota and have spent the last 10+ years helping care for chickens and ducks. Our family currently includes 5 ducks (Lefse, Gilly, Tanooki, Epona, and Chelan) and 1 chicken (Esty).

We got into the business of chicken and duck sitting when we realized how tough it was to find people to help watch our flock while we were away, so we knew other folks must be experiencing the same thing. We fully started operations in 2022, and we make hundreds of visits every year across the Twin Cities metro area. Over the past 3 years we have added additional coop services like cleaning, winterization, and inspections. We also offer a backyard fowl class that satisfies the permit requirements for Minneapolis and other municipalities, and we work closely with other local business like Bloomington Farm and Feed to support the larger fowl-owning community.