Moving 15 hours away

[BigBlueHen53]

Seems like everyone is encouraging you to take your birds with you. And I'm picturing days of yore when people would strap everything they owned onto the ol' pickup truck with the cages of chickens on top, and off they'd go, California or Bust.. . But nowadays everything goes inside the SUV and people and animals are stuck inside together, for better or worse, for the duration... I drive a couple of hens to my Mennonite lady for her to butcher and process for me from time to time. She lives four miles away from me, it takes about ten minutes to get there. I usually take two to four chickens at a time. But let me tell you, two minutes into the drive we're rolling the windows down and hanging our heads out. I can't imagine traveling 15 HOURS with chickens in the car. I'm not here to advise you what to do, but I strongly suggest you put a few chickens in a crate in the car with you some morning and just drive around town for an hour or two as an experiment before you make up your mind this is what you really want to do.

 

[Kung_pao]

I was picturing them in the back of a truck or U-Haul. In a car, no way!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I was picturing them in the back of a truck or U-Haul. In a car, no way!

Whew! That's a relief!

 

[texsuze]

IMHO, from a traveling standpoint, in addition to getting whatever state-line documentation needed and at hand (never know who'll be pulling you off the highway these days ) the key would be having fully prepared housing at your destination, i.e. coop or run or secure location, with room to initially place all your carriers into so chickens can settle themselves.
Also, carefully planning your route as much as possible--any stops for gas, food, etc.
I did a 3 1/2 hour trip home when I picked up my started pullets last April. All did fine, despite the road noise sometimes (driving a rental car, chickens in pet carrier in the back seat). There is no way whatsoever I would subject any animal to traveling in (a) the bed of a pickup truck (frightful highway vehicle noise, exhaust fumes, blasting wind, etc) or (b) an enclosed U-Haul or cargo trailer (no ventilation/darkness/ frying or freezing). Just sayin'.
Best of luck with whatever decision you make!

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

a) the bed of a pickup truck (frightful highway vehicle noise, exhaust fumes, blasting wind, etc) or (b) an enclosed U-Haul or cargo trailer (no ventilation/darkness/ frying or freezing). Just sayin'.

I’ve actually done both of these. Truck bed with a topper and a cargo trailer with windows. So it can be done. But definitely needs to be done thoughtfully. No chickens were harmed in these expeditions

 

[Mrs Chicken Keep]

I was picturing them in the back of a truck or U-Haul. In a car, no way!

I transported my four hens when I moved three years ago. They did just fine on the trip in the back of our SUV. It was a 15 hour drive, but we broke it up into two days and stayed with relatives near the halfway point. I had them in a large crate with food and water. Honestly, they were easier to travel with that one of my dogs, who whined for most of the trip…

 

[Serenityintheverse]

I have eight chickens they’re about a year and a half old. I’m moving 15 hours away. My selfishness wants to take the chickens with me, but I’m worried that they drive and the new location and all of that would be too hard on them. Should I find them a new home near my current location or do you think it’s possible or worth the stress to move them 15 hours to my new home.

I moved my 5 hens from Denver to Indiana. They did great in the back of the Uhaul in dog crates. Even layed a couple of eggs on the way! Just make sure they have water and food at their normal feeding time and they'll be just fine

 

[Briarhopper Ranch]

I moved my 5 hens from Denver to Indiana. They did great in the back of the Uhaul in dog crates. Even layed a couple of eggs on the way! Just make sure they have water and food at their normal feeding time and they'll be just fine

I have eight chickens they’re about a year and a half old. I’m moving 15 hours away. My selfishness wants to take the chickens with me, but I’m worried that they drive and the new location and all of that would be too hard on them. Should I find them a new home near my current location or do you think it’s possible or worth the stress to move them 15 hours to my new home.

In mid-November, we moved 22 birds from Colorado to Kentucky, an 18 hour drive. Some tips from our experience:
• we did the drive with as few stops as possible / drove efficiently (we had one overnight)
• we shopped thrift stores in advance for cheap dog crates and grouped birds in comparable batches
• the crates were in the back of a Penske truck so we didn’t have to smell birds for two days straight
• crates were lined with puppy pee pads for comfort and absorption
• each crate had a nipple waterer at all times, but food was only given at major stops
• an olive egger laid en route and a Bielefelder laid her first egg upon arrival, but egg laying slowed down greatly due to combined stress and season; egg laying has once again resumed in force (mid February)
• I traveled ahead of my husband and had a temporary coop (converted horse stall) area set up and ready for the birds on our new farm (our new coop hadn’t yet been delivered)
• the birds were unloaded before anything else upon arrival, freed from their cages with access to plenty of feed, fresh water (with an electrolyte option) and perching space
• a vet familiar with poultry is not easy to find, but he/she can research transit requirements / requirements in your destination state, arrange an examination of your flock and test a percentage of birds and write a letter of “clean flock” for you to carry
• our truck was parked in the back corner of the overnight hotel lot so our rooster and tom turkey didn’t bother folks / attract attention (especially because we vented the truck door at night for fresh air)
• the semi transparent roof on the truck we rented meant the birds enjoyed natural daylight / we didn’t need supplemental light, though we had purchased cheap string lights for this purpose if needed
• we lost two birds after the move that failed to thrive due to stress, both pullets were runts of their respective sub flocks

It wasn’t easy, but it beat the heck out of starting over with a new flock of chicks. Everyone is thriving here in EKY, enjoying bugs and grass even through most of the winter and I’d do it all the same way again if I had to. However, this 50 acre dream-stead is our semi-retirement plan, and I don’t see us leaving until old age makes it utterly necessary. If you foresee moving again in just a few years, you may want to strategically opt to not move your birds every few years.