Eight hours home with five-day-old chicks.

[saysfaa]

I go home tomorrow. It is 8 hours (drive time). My 11 chicks will be five days old.

I do realize this is not anywhere close to ideal. Given my options, it seemed the best choice of several not good options.

I'll do what I can to make it as easy on them as I can. What I've thought of so far: heat shouldn't be a problem, they liked it between 93 and 95 during the 7 hours it took to get here from the hatchery when they were one day old so I know I can keep it at that (much as I find it too warm, but doable). They had a heat pack to stand on. I can give them the wool hen, I think part wool hen and part not so they can choose their temp individually at least a little.

Water. I'll stop to offer them water. How often do you think?

Food. Probably best at the stops??? Or soaked feed but I haven't introduced that yet. I don't mind extra mess of leaving dry food with them all the time, but should I do that when they get water only periodically?

Darkness. I think they will stress less if they are in dim light.

Drive gently... slow speed and direction changes, etc, as much as possible. Cushion as much of the vibration as I can.

Anything else that might help or work better?

 

[sourland]

Good luck and have a safe trip. Your plans sound workable.

 

[21hens-incharge]

If you take a 15 minute water and food break every hour or two that should be plenty.

It will give you a chance to check for overheating too.

How many chicks? Is it 5 chicks that are a day old or chicks(unspecified number) that are 5 days okd?
What are you transporting in! Make sure whatever it is there is a lot of ventilation.

 

[saysfaa]

15 min each hour sounds reasonable and doable.

They are 8 Black Australorps and 3 Brown Leghorns that all are (will be) 5 days old.

I'm still working on the box. I'll make sure it has at least as much ventilation per inch as the box Cackle gave them to me in.

Thank you!!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I think that is warmer than you need to be. When they mail the chicks they do not keep them in a heated environment, they ship enough chicks so they keep each other warm at ambient temperatures. With 11 chicks 5 days old I think you are in that range, especially as you will be in a car with no wind on them. I think you can drop the temperature in there to where you are comfortable. If they get cold they should let you know. My worry would be more on overheating them. Good ventilation will help body heat escape from that box. Watch out for letting the box sit in sunlight and getting heated up that way.

When making that box make sure they can't get out. You might be surprised at how well a 5 day old chick can jump. Of course think about when you are driving, a chick getting out is a definition of distracted driving that is an accident waiting to happen. But also think how you are going to feed and water them. You don't need to be trying to safely dig a chick out from under a car seat or chasing one across a parking lot.

Good luck on the trip. Let us know how it goes, any problems you encounter.

 

[saysfaa]

So far, so good.
Bottom cut out of one box, edges and corners left for stability. Top of top box open. Hand holds covered with press and seal. Vent holes covered with duct tape. Boxes duct taped together at corners.

Rubber flannel down first inside, then puppy pad, then hatchery box with wool strips. Then six layers of puppy pads over entire floor (including inside hatchery box) and hatchery box lid flaps tucked inside puppy pads to stabilize them.

Water bottles filled with room temp water on each side of hatchery box so chicks can't get trapped beside or behind the hatchery box. One folded flour towel covering the top of the hatchery box and a puppy pad on top of that.

Whole thing slid (actually, strtched and inched) into as much of a string laundry bag as will fit. That is in case someone manages to jump on top of the hatchery box. I don't think they can because the towel makes it a little higher and helps the puppy pad have a flimsy and tilted edge. But if they do, it is back up.
the car seat had a blanket folded to make the seat pretty level, and a little cushioned. Then a twin sized feather quilt under, in front and back and diubled on the door side to wedge, cushion, and insulate.
We are on our third stop for food and water. It takes longer than fifteen minutes for them to be mostly done. They start peeping instead of twittering at about an hour. I think for food or water because the temp is about the same.

Layering the puppy pads is working very well. I peel one off at the stops and they have an entirely clean space.

Three attempts to jump out so far. None are at all close - they haven't gotten their feet above the top of the hatchery box or the bottom edges of the top box. I have a flour towel ready to lay over the top in necessary but want the ventilation if possible. At least one made it to the top of the hatchery box for the first time during the night. They may have used the water bottles as a step (different water bottle set up - more like a step.

Anyway, four and a half hours to go.

 

[21hens-incharge]

So far, so good.
Bottom cut out of one box, edges and corners left for stability. Top of top box open. Hand holds covered with press and seal. Vent holes covered with duct tape. Boxes duct taped together at corners.

Rubber flannel down first inside, then puppy pad, then hatchery box with wool strips. Then six layers of puppy pads over entire floor (including inside hatchery box) and hatchery box lid flaps tucked inside puppy pads to stabilize them.

Water bottles filled with room temp water on each side of hatchery box so chicks can't get trapped beside or behind the hatchery box. One folded flour towel covering the top of the hatchery box and a puppy pad on top of that.

Whole thing slid (actually, strtched and inched) into as much of a string laundry bag as will fit. That is in case someone manages to jump on top of the hatchery box. I don't think they can because the towel makes it a little higher and helps the puppy pad have a flimsy and tilted edge. But if they do, it is back up.
the car seat had a blanket folded to make the seat pretty level, and a little cushioned. Then a twin sized feather quilt under, in front and back and diubled on the door side to wedge, cushion, and insulate.
We are on our third stop for food and water. It takes longer than fifteen minutes for them to be mostly done. They start peeping instead of twittering at about an hour. I think for food or water because the temp is about the same.

Layering the puppy pads is working very well. I peel one off at the stops and they have an entirely clean space.

Three attempts to jump out so far. None are at all close - they haven't gotten their feet above the top of the hatchery box or the bottom edges of the top box. I have a flour towel ready to lay over the top in necessary but want the ventilation if possible. At least one made it to the top of the hatchery box for the first time during the night. They may have used the water bottles as a step (different water bottle set up - more like a step.

Anyway, four and a half hours to go.

The fact that you used "cuties" boxes made me giggle.....cause they are...cuties.

 

[saysfaa]

Oh, I didn't hit the post button on the last post.

Well, they made it to the ledge and to the top of the hatchery box. Thankfully the backup plan worked for the four miles to a resale shop I knew of. I found a mesh laundry bag for 99 cents. Awesome!!! That is working well.

An hour and 55 minutes to go.

 

[saysfaa]

We are all home safe. They put themselves to bed as soon as we got home.

 

[21hens-incharge]

We are all home safe. They put themselves to bed as soon as we got home.

Now if you haven't eaten get some food and rest.