I'm full of questions today! I need help on solving a situation...

[Baby_Chick]

Quote:
I live in Northern New Hampshire AKA Bear Country and I am going to be going down to the South coast area of Massachusetts. I have 5 New Hampshire Red hens.

 

[firedove]

From experience I can tell you that a rabbit water bottle will leak all of it's contents into the bedding on a long trip leaving your chicks sitting in wet. I think your best bet for water would be to stop every half hour and give them the option to drink from their normal waterer for a while. When they are all satisfied, take the waterer out and get back on the road.

Hot water bottles will keep a chick warm. Back when I was a teen and knew nothing about raising chicks I rescued a chick from rats and raised it in a cardboard box with a hot water bottle. A hot water bottle will stay warm enough for 4.5 hours if you fill it with water about 100 to 105 degrees. Wrap it in towels so that the chicks can sit right against it or on it without getting burned. The towels will help keep the water bottle warm as well.

One caution about the hot water bottle though, be sure it cannot roll in the box or it might roll over your chickies or squish them against the side of the box. If you have to use a few and make a floor out of them that would be OK too. Although the bottle might be filled with 100 degree water it will not heat the box to 100 degrees. Sitting directly on the bottle wrapped in towels will be like the chick sitting in your hand. It will be warm on the bottom but won't over heat.

My original chick always liked to sit right on the bottle and he made it to adulthood just fine and healthy. I used to fill his bottle with the hottest water I could get from the sink right before I went to bed at 10pm and when I woke up around 6am the bottle would still be warm (not hot mind you). 4.5 hours should be no issue at all with a nice hot bottle or two.

 

[kevindean]

I would leave them with a sitter the stress will not be good for chicks that young

 

[Baby_Chick]

Quote:
You are more expierienced than I am... I have one of those heat/vacum (SP?) sealers with the bags... If I were to fill it with extremely hot water and seal it would that work and not leak? I was thinking about this b/c the bags have less of a chance of rolling over my chicks and that they can lay on top of it easier and be more comfortable than say a big (washed out) soda bottle.