moving across country with chickens

[brandonstokley]

I will be moving across the country from North East Florida to North West Washington early next year. I want to bring my 6 Olandsk dwarfs with me but not sure the best way. we also have 3 dogs 2 cats that are coming with us. my initial thought is to put them in a dog crate just like the rest of the animals and just deal with the mess when I get there. but it is a 5 day journey minimum. can they be shipped?

 

[Birdinhand]

I live in northwest WA. I would send them by air ahead of you to someone who can care for them until your arrival. I’ve transported livestock long distances (when I was a lot younger, cough cough) and 5 days is a very long time in the world of a chicken to be on the road unless you make some pretty extraordinary accommodations. I have multiple partitioned sections in my coop and could receive your chickens and keep them safe and care for them while you make the journey. People have “paid it forward” for me in similar ways over the years, I’d be happy to help get your beloveds to your new home.

 

[brandonstokley]

I live in northwest WA. I would send them by air ahead of you to someone who can care for them until your arrival. I’ve transported livestock long distances (when I was a lot younger, cough cough) and 5 days is a very long time in the world of a chicken to be on the road unless you make some pretty extraordinary accommodations. I have multiple partitioned sections in my coop and could receive your chickens and keep them safe and care for them while you make the journey. People have “paid it forward” for me in similar ways over the years, I’d be happy to help get your beloveds to your new home.

this made me shed a tear of happiness and gratitude. how kind of you! I was also unaware that there was a specific group for "people like us" on here, I just saw when hovering over your avatar.

where in Washington are you?

 

[Birdinhand]

this made me shed a tear of happiness and gratitude. how kind of you! I was also unaware that there was a specific group for "people like us" on here, I just saw when hovering over your avatar.

where in Washington are you?

I’m in shoreline, just north of Seattle.

 

[brandonstokley]

I’m in shoreline, just north of Seattle.

nice! we are looking at the port Angeles, bremerton or Olympia area. listed in order of preference lol

 

[Mrs. K]

One of the things you need to be very aware of, that while they are pets to you, they are considered livestock to the state. There are laws that need to be followed. Thing is, your birds in a totally different climate, can be carriers of a disease that is non-existent in the new place - those birds will have no protection to it at all.

Or vice versa is true too, there may be a disease in the soil that birds raised in it, get natural immunization to it. New birds exposed to it can become very sick and die. Birds traveling for 5 days will be highly stressed and therefore very susceptible to any disease.

Check with your local laws, the laws into the state you traveling through, and the state that you are making your new home. It is vitally important that you follow the laws. If you were stopped, for whatever reason. And you do not have the correct paper work proving you have healthy birds - you could have them confiscated and depopulated. Agriculture takes these laws very seriously.

The above poster while acting generously is risking a great deal. I am not a big believer in quarantine, but I only get local birds, birds raised like mine that have not been exposed to other birds. I would not want to take your birds temporarily due to the incredible risk to either your flock or mine.

Mrs K

 

[Birdinhand]

One of the things you need to be very aware of, that while they are pets to you, they are considered livestock to the state. There are laws that need to be followed. Thing is, your birds in a totally different climate, can be carriers of a disease that is non-existent in the new place - those birds will have no protection to it at all.

Or vice versa is true too, there may be a disease in the soil that birds raised in it, get natural immunization to it. New birds exposed to it can become very sick and die. Birds traveling for 5 days will be highly stressed and therefore very susceptible to any disease.

Check with your local laws, the laws into the state you traveling through, and the state that you are making your new home. It is vitally important that you follow the laws. If you were stopped, for whatever reason. And you do not have the correct paper work proving you have healthy birds - you could have them confiscated and depopulated. Agriculture takes these laws very seriously.

The above poster while acting generously is risking a great deal. I am not a big believer in quarantine, but I only get local birds, birds raised like mine that have not been exposed to other birds. I would not want to take your birds temporarily due to the incredible risk to either your flock or mine.

Mrs K

I’m not suggesting breaking any laws, and a decent period of due diligence in negotiating the details would certainly be in order to be reasonably assured disease wasn’t going to be conveyed either way. That being said, poultry is shipped live all over the country daily, across state lines without quarantine, subject to the full variation of exposure to backyard micro biome and for the most part the birds adapt quite well. backyard chickens are an infinitesimal percentage of big agro’s population for which the strictest of laws are fashioned, to deal with the Potential for mass spread of disease. It is my understanding that to the backyard chickener, the greatest threat to one’s flock comes from wild, migrating birds flying overhead and spreading disease through their droppings, which is one of the reasons I have covered runs only.

The next biggest threat around me in the past has been going to state fair through 4-H and having my kids show their animals. It’s been a few years since we did that, my kids are older and “Painted wings and giant's rings make way for other toys”… but the point is, Efforts can be and are taken to safely mitigate the risks… though risks can never be eliminated 100% and we should not let fear stop us from being caring and generous to our fellow chickeners.

 

[Mrs. K]

I don't think you would be breaking the laws as the receiver, but I do know that the person shipping the birds will need health clearance papers. I am promoting that those laws be followed, and they are apt to be different for each state.

I do think that showing birds is a great way to spread disease. Generally they take health of the birds pretty seriously at those events. They can obviously make a mistake.

My point is, that strange diseases can be hard on birds. And that there are legal laws that try and prevent diseases from entering states.

Mrs K