We have 35 birds, including 6 young birds currently in a meet n greet coop face to face with our 29 girls. We just bought an incredible 90 acre farm 6 miles away. But now we have to move everyone, coops included, to the new property. HOW?! ALSO, the previous owners left their 15 chickens, including two roosters, and coop (which is perched precariously on a hill and is open with NO protection at all), at the property. NOW WHAT??!! We plan on being very purposeful in choosing a better location for both flocks and slowly integrating them. But the first challenge is getting our girls to the new location and securing them without the shock killing some of my geriatrics. I am thinking of hand carrying some of them over since they are so aged (they are pets really as some lay so infrequently and we just keep them around because we love them) and we're afraid they'll freak out in a crate. Any suggestions?
I know these are your pets, but I have hauled over 200 chickens at one time in cages---100 to 200 many times, different ages and no one seemed to have a problem. I just be gentle putting them in the cages. If you really are worried-----move them at night---in the dark. They will stay calmer.
I'd crate and box them up first thing in morning and bring to a temporary fenced in spot where you'll be bringing the coop later that day. If you make the move all in one day they shouldn't get too freaked. People crate and travel birds across the country all the time. Your only going 6 miles so would think it would be rather painless for them to be moved to fenced in pasture straight from coop in morning then bring the coop over later that day. Though with that many birds I don't know if your present coop is even movable?
You say coops, plural, and you are moving them. How are you moving the coops and how big are they? Do they have a floor? How many coops do you have? Do they have to be broken down to move them? Are you using a truck, trailer, or maybe a van? There is a lot I don’t know about how your flock is integrated, what coops or runs they are currently in, anything like that. It’s hard to get very detailed when you don’t know much. My general thoughts are to get a run set up at the new place, maybe put a coop or two there, and move them in a coop if you can. Or use a crate. Maybe set up a windbreak and drive relatively slowly. It’s only 6 miles, that’s not really much. You can make several round trips if you have to. I don’t know what you envision by moving the old ones by hand, but you can do that if you wish. With multiple coops it probably doesn’t have to all happen the same day. It’s only six miles. I understand they are pets and you really don’t want anything to happen to them. But I think you are overthinking it, worrying much more than you need to. Plan the move including getting the coops and runs set up. When you move them protect them from a strong wind hitting them by not speeding and using a wind break. They will probably handle the move better than you will.
The easiest way to move chickens a short distance is in burlap bags with straw in the bottom then hang them up in the sack. Using purpose built shipping crates it is simple to ship them 1/2 way around the world or to the Philippines. It only requires more paper work.
We moved ours 3 1/2 hours away in dog crates set inside our horse trailer. They all did fine, but boy were they poopy birds when they got here!
I have caged mine just after dark of Friday evening-----load them real early Saturday Morning----hauled them in the back of a open truck or in a enclosed trailer for 2 hours---unload, check in, then they set in the cages for about 8 to 12 hours---sell some---have no-selled some, bring them back for home---2 hour ride, unload them and they lay fine the next day---acted like they enjoyed the ride---LOL.
