a customer wants to buy 2 wk olds & drive 12 hours to their new home

[haTHOR]

is this possible?

could she use hand warmers, etc? what else should she know? seems unconcerned and i just can't give them to her if i'm worried they will die on the way.

a supply list would be great...

thermometer, food, water (how to keep from spilling?)
i'm guessing the box should be pretty small so they conserve heat.

any other ideas or has anyone btdt?

 

[Rainstorm]

id think that they would be ok with some fruit or something in there box to eat, I think thats how they ship birds anyway and im sure it takes longer then 12 hours to be shipped

 

[silkydragon]

if she is driving to get them they should be fine in the car i drove to get mine from hatchery 8hr drive and they didnt even act a bit cold ppl ship them through us post office all the time with not heatsource

 

[haTHOR]

but isn't that when the babies are a day or two old and not pooping/eating/drinking at all?

 

[slackwater]

I'm guessing that a small-ish box with some lightly "draped" washclothes taht they can snuggle into would work just fine.

 

[Lollipop]

They`ll be fine in a small box, out of any drafts, no water, just cut up an apple for moisture. Feed and water upon arrival.........Pop

 

[silkydragon]

Quote:
ive also shipped some adult birds from california a silkie and 2polish hens the sender cut an orange in half and put in with them and they arrived in good condition

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

If you are really concerned about warmth (and she doesn't want to make the trip with the heat on high

), get some of those air activated heat packs like those you use on your back or shoulder. They stay warm for around 8 hours. It wouldn't make up for freezing temps, but might help them out this time of year. I found mine at Walgreens in the heating pad/BenGay section. They came in a box of 5. Each one is individually packaged. Once you rip the plastic off, the pad reacts to air and heats up. It takes about half an hour to get up to temp, but then it holds it for a while. They are officially designed to be used on sore muscles, but worked great when I shipped them out with chicks.

 

[TK421]

I would worry about the chickens pecking those heaters and spilling some of the chemicals inside, though that sounds like a remote possibility. Another option is have them bring their lamp and have them bring a power inverter. It lets them plug in the lamp via the car's Power Ports. Plus, they're great to have on long-trips anyway. You can get them at most electronics store for $30-60 (depending on how big you go).

 

[ranchhand]

A year ago I drove 13 chicks from Dover, Delaware to Hollywood, SC. 13 hours with 13 - 2 week old chicks.

My biggest issue was keeping them cool enough! I have a large plastic brooder tub, with a feeder and waterer sitting in a plant saucer to catch spills. The tub was on the floor in the back seat of my truck, with a sheet draped over it. I reached my hand in regularly to check the temp and after 50 miles it was so hot the chicks were panting. So I had to do some fancy draping over the folded up seats and whatnot to get some air moving in there without setting up a cool draft.

Chicks did just fine - but it took me 2 days to recover from that noisy, marathon drive. Every single bump on I-95 was cause for great alarm, they shrieked, peeped, cheeped and complained almost the whole trip.