Camping with your chicks, coop ideas

[tydyed]

And I totally didn't mean to imply you wouldn't supervise them or be careless! It's just that I know how much chickens like their "place" and their routines...it takes a while for them to learn where their coop is and go back to it free ranging. Of course maybe yours would stick close to you; I'd just worry about what might show up at the campground or out of the brush or woods thinking "oh, cool...chicken dinner." It's sweet that your daughter loves them...I just meant you could explain that they really like to be at home where they are used to things and they might be scared in a new place. Any chance you could have a neighbor or friend check on them and shut them in at night while you're away?

Maybe, we're still kicking ideas around. I've been researching door options as well.

 

[theoldchick]

I've taken chickens camping with me and it is hard work keeping up with the mess they make. You can't really enjoy your trip having to constantly clean up after them. Having said that, I have taken injured/ill chickens with me. I'll put a chicken in a plastic dog crate with pine shavings-bring extra as you will have to change it when it gets wet. You'll need a quiet place to put the crate, and if you have young chicks you will have to keep them warm. I have to sacrifice hiking/fishing to tend to the chicken. I do know people who have pet chickens that go camping but these birds are well acclimate to the house and are trained to walk on a leash. For these people, the pet chicken is no different than a tiny dog. And just like a dog you can't leave them unattended for long-especially in the summer. So, yes, you can take a chicken camping but it might not be as fun as you think.

 

[BleuSaphir]

No, extremely bad idea. Most chickens are not like the famous, Sami the Chicken on Instagram.

 

[Tonyroo]

Well whatever you decide, think of the welfare of your chickens first over everything else.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

How many do you have? What breeds? How old are they?
I'm sure it could work, with a little more effort than tending to them at home. In my opinion, the number you have, their size and age are significant factors. Now whenever I go away, especially camping, my daily workload is doubled. Of course it's enjoyable but there is a lot more to breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as many other things. Adding the chickens to your workload seems a bit overwhelming, but that's only in my personal opinion. Another important factor is your daughter's age. My daughter is 9 (almost 10) and this is something she would probably ask and I know that she would tell me that she'll do the extra work. Problem is that it's rarely ever THAT simple around this age. She'll certainly help but my workload would still be significantly increased. Plus, doing any activities outside of our camp lot would be stressful for my daughter and to be honest, myself as well. I wouldn't trust leaving my birds in their portable run unless there was a way to make it predator AND human proof. So that would mean that the birds would have to go up for us to do any activities. This would stress everyone, including the birds. Don't get me wrong, this sounds like so much fun, but thinking deeper into everything involved makes me feel exhausted. The time apart will make the reunion so sweet, if you decide to leave them at home. If you could hire someone to come over twice a day to check feed and water, as well as the birds well-being will hopefully go more smoothly. You could always let the person know that you'd like pictures showing the birds/feed/water to hopefully ensure they're being taken care of. I wish you the very best in whatever you decide to do. I hope you have loads of fun while camping, with or without your birds

 

[Krugerrand]

If you're going anywhere there are bears, I'd read these posts first:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/its-been-26-years-since-ive-had-a-bear-in-my-house.1476448/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/bear-flipped-over-coop.1465540/

 

[Jbird95]

So, we’ve taken our chickens with us and we also use a dog crate. They love car rides. They sit on someone’s, or depending on the distance, everyone’s lap. We only had 2 at the time and they were raised more like dogs. Don’t laugh, but our chickens love to watch movies so we take a laptop as entertainment and it’s something they’re use to so I think it helps keep them relaxed. We only camped one night and then went to air b n b. Yeah, I know, my chickens are boushy