The chicks should be fine in a heated car for 9 hours. Will be noisy but wont need more heat than what your car is at. Hand warmers are nice but not essential as their not in the mail system and unheated trucks.
Medicated or not is a personal choice. Some choose to use it regardless of risk level. I don't use it and don't have much call for it in the frozen north. South Carolina probably has more issue with Cocci, find a SC forum here and ask your neighbors. What some do is take small amounts of earth from outside and put in the brooder. Small doses of whatever is in your soil for them to build immunity naturally. All sorts of different ways to do things and each climate has it's own issues from pathogens and predators to weather.
Here is an active thread for South Carolina to see what your local peeps are doing. Good place to ask any climate/area specific questions:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/127943/south-carolina/21110
Medicated or not is a personal choice. Some choose to use it regardless of risk level. I don't use it and don't have much call for it in the frozen north. South Carolina probably has more issue with Cocci, find a SC forum here and ask your neighbors. What some do is take small amounts of earth from outside and put in the brooder. Small doses of whatever is in your soil for them to build immunity naturally. All sorts of different ways to do things and each climate has it's own issues from pathogens and predators to weather.
Here is an active thread for South Carolina to see what your local peeps are doing. Good place to ask any climate/area specific questions:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/127943/south-carolina/21110
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