HELP!! DAY-OLD CHICK SAFE ON AIRPLANE??

[hedz82]

I m planning to send one or two day-old chicks in cargo hold (live animals arent allowed in South Africa in the cabin for some silly reason - very annoying!!) from Johannesburg to Cape Town.
Its only a two hour flight and I will give them a heating pad, but someone form an animal travel agency told me the other day that you can't fly them before 6weeks because their lungs can't handle the altitude, and they all die!
Is that true??!??
I thought people fly day-old chicks all over the States the whole time??
PLEASE someone let me know??
Desperate and Worried!!

 

[MonsterClucker]

Wow that is really cool! I hope you can get your chicks through with you!

We do ship day old chicks here in America so I don't see why not in Africa.


Good luck on your journey. You and your chicks!

 

[sumi]

The breeders of the Boschveld Indigenous chickens send their chicks off on planes to their customers all the time. I friend of mine had 100 day old chicks send from them, Jhb to George, on a commercial flight. They arrived fine! Don't worry

 

[hedz82]

Oh thats awesome, thanks so much!
Any idea on some heat packs that stay warm long enough for flight plus checking in, etc., like 4hrs??
cause I am only sending so few they'll get too cold..
are you in SA, too ??

 

[sumi]

I lived there until recently. I've seen heat packs advertised on TV that you can warm up in a microwave oven and it retains heat for up to 8 hours. I can't remember what they're called though, but if you look in a shop like Clicks, they'll probably stock them.

 

[hedz82]

Okay, thanks so much ! I will look there!
I m so annoyed you can't take pets in the cabin on the aircraft in this bloody backward country! people apparently take dogs in the US and in Europe up to a size.. as if anyone would even notice a little chickie in someone's jersey!!
XX

 

[debid]

It's a short flight, it might also be a very small plane. US mail flies in big jets with pressurized cargo holds. When we traveled last year, though, we were in a puddle jumper for part of the trip and they warned us about lotion bottles and such exploding in our luggage.

 

[hedz82]

Hey, thanks for the reply.
I actually decided its too much of a mission and too risky. Its different if you are transporting 100 and its okay if 2 don't make it, but I just want to get one or two and I d be devastated if I caused them harm. Hence I am getting some chicks locally. Much more of a difficulty than yoiu would think in Cape Town.. They are now 4 days old, and I will try have to sex them.. What a nightmare..
But I'd still rather take one back to the farm if it turns out a rooster and they kill it (quickly and humanely!) if need be and eat it as opposed to their bloody lungs explode or they die of hypothermia. Ugh.