Can chickens "travel"

[phelpcd1]

I have 4 hens. I also have a "weekend' place that's just under 2 hours from my house - it's out in the country and we intend on moving there next year. We haven't spent any time there in quite a while (not since we got chickens). We are needing to start going for weekends etc. but I need to be able to bring the chickens with us. My hubby is planning on building a new coop/run for about a dozen that we plan on having when we live there so there will be a nice place for them when/if they do travel with us. I also have a large wire dog crate that we would use to transport them (back of a truck and covered). My question is if anyone has done this with chickens - they would come with us on weekends and week long trips. I don't want to stress them out and cause them to stop laying but I can't leave them in the city unattended for a couple of nights, and certainly not an entire week. They free range the backyard all day and will raise all kinds of heck if left in the run - my girls are LOUD!! Any advice/opinions/experience?

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I have traveled with chickens in a dog crate from LA to San Diego a few times, about a 2.5 hour trip. They were a little stressed and not super pleased with me but all seemed fine and suffered no ill effects.

 

[cerealrock78]

I don't know if a dog crate's big enough for even one chicken. Each chicken needs about 5 square feet of space unless she's broody, if she's broody you could build a nice nest for her in the dog crate. You'll need four dog crates with you if you want all them to go. If they're broody and they stay right in the same spot then I don't think its much of a difference if you put them in a dog crate ( becuase a dog crate is the size of a nesting box.) Reply back!

 

[ChickensRDinos]

They are not going to be living in the dog crate - it is just for temporary transport. I had three hens in a medium crate on my biggest load. It is only for a short amount of time in the car. I put a little water bowl in with them (I think it is for rabbits, but it is the kind that can attach to a wire crate and I just filled in less than half full so that they would have some water but it would not slosh and spill). They were in the back seat of my car. They complained at first or whenever I turned but overall just lay down.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Folks who show their chickens heavily travel with them constantly. It is somewhat stressful for the birds. I transport chickens from N Michigan to S Kentucky, and back, two or three times a year. I try to make it as least stressful as possible.

I don't think a chicken is nearly as worthy a candidate to be a weekend or week's vacation type companion pet as other animals, however. Not at all.

 

[phelpcd1]

Ok thanks....my dog crate is one of the huge wire ones for large dogs.....they would all easily fit in there just fine. And ya, I always take my dogs with me, and would prefer NOT to bring the chickens, but I don't have a chicken "sitter" nor do I trust the neighbors. I'm more worried they will cause a nuisance to the neighbors because they are LOUD as heck when cooped up in the run. And even tho we are in the city, I have no way to shut them in at night (no auto-doors for me yet) and would worry about a predator.