[Ben_H]

Morning All,

Hoping to bring the birds home tomorrow. I have some cardboard boxes and a cat box to convert today once I've finished building the pen (busy, busy). What should I put in the bottom of the boxes for a 45 min car trip? I'm thinking some newspaper and then a bit of bedding material?

Also can I subdivide bigger boxes to take a couple of hens or will that cause them additional stress? (16 week old approx).


Cheers

Ben

[joyfull]

I usually collect mine in cat carrying baskets - and you can put a couple in each basket together for the journey. They will be frightened and I find carrying a two or 3 together is fine as they huddle up to each other. Paper on the bottom is fine as is bedding I use hemcore but this does come out through the sides of the basket and goes everywhere but in a box it will be fine 

[bantam novice]

Good luck with your new hens and keep us posted. 

[AL Hathaway]

once you start the road trip with your gals in tow they will settle down and be very quiet but they do get very hot in the transport so lots of air holes in the boxes and a window cracked open or AC helps i find and look out if one poo's ewww is all i can say and gasp =)

[binghamd]

Thanks for starting this Ben.
Any advice for longer journeys eg 5-6 hours would be appreciated.
I'll be collecting 4 hens and a cockerel from Wales to bring back to Sussex. I've only evey picked up locally before eg 1 hr journey.

[joyfull]

I fetched a cockerel and 2 large fowl hens plus a pair of sabelpoots from the Scottish Borders. They had a short stop over where they were given a drink and some mixed corn. The large fowl were in one big box and the poots in another smaller box. All travelled fine. However if you are unsure then make several stops. Keep them cool during the journey - lots of air holes for ventilation or use something like large cat carriers.

[GrannieAnnie]

When travelling, chickens don't need loads of room, as if you go round a corner fast or have to brake suddenly, they could fall and break a leg or wing.

I read once several years ago, and its what I do now, rather than just making little holes in the box (if its a cardboard one)  cut slits around the sides, high up about 1 inch deep by 2 inches across.

When I took 6 2 week old chicks up to Scotland by train 3 years ago, Muntjac told me to put a sponge in a margarine tub, then keep that soaked with water, they can dip their beaks in and get some water, but it doesn't slop all over the place.

Then I put little bits of their chick crumb in the box at intervals, but when picking up bigger chickens, they've probably already eaten that morning, so probably don't need anymore until you take them out of the box at destination.

Good luck with it!!!   

[Sassy]

Agree with GrannieAnnie that they do not need lots of room. However, because of this they need plenty of ventilation. I only had about a 20 minute journey from collecting some chooks and had the car window down but they were still very warm when iIgot them home!!

[binghamd]

Thanks for the comments, really useful. Hadn't thought about my bad driving.
Cardboard box, long vertical ventilation slots, wet sponge in tub, stops to water and check and keep cool. The birds not me.

Would the cockerel be all right to travel with the girls?
The first one to reply "Seven little girls sitting in the back seat------" will get a black mark.

Do you think it would reduce their stress if they were put in the box during the night and picked up 1st thing in the morning?

[Ben_H]

Well got all four chooks in the cat basket together so the time I spent on slicing and dicing the cardboard boxes was a bit of a waste but nevermind. Home and settling in now.

Cheers

Ben

[joyfull]

Yeh well done.

Errrr aren't you forgetting something???






Photos of course 

[Ben_H]

As soon as I can get them to sit still long enough I will take some photos. 

Not having been on here long do you tend to post photos within the thread or somewhere else?

[joyfull]

you can show them on here on this thread or in the chicken chat section