Hi everyone, I searched this folder going back several years and got some good ideas on the logistics of the move (wire dog cage, carpet on bottom for traction, etc.). My question is specific to the heat during the move. I have 8 barred rocks and 1 rooster. We are moving back to our home town of Austin and I'll be driving from San Diego to Austin in the 3rd week of August. Temps here are 70s, sometimes close to 80. Usually during July & August here we hit 90 in my microclimate, but this summer has been very cool. So we'll be going from 70s/low 80s to 90-95s. I have three questions: 1. Is it possible to move them safely (i.e. without killing them from heat)? I would rather give them to a friend than kill them on the move. 2. What can I do to protect them during the drive? (frozen water jugs, a battery-powered fan, trying to avoid driving during the hottest part of the day - although where would I park during the heat of the day and wouldn't it be better to be moving and thus generating air flow?) 3. Once I arrive in Austin, will the overall change in temp be too much for them to acclimate to? Going from a balmy cool climate to a hot humid one? Fortunately by September temps begin to drop in Austin (to 90 rather than 95) so I hope our timing means they'll have fall and winter to get used to the new climate. Thanks, Shannon
Make sure they have plenty of water, you may want to even freeze their water, so on the way they drink the cold melted water. Also the frozen water bottles to lay on are a good idea, but you want to make sure they are also covered, if they are in the back of a truck. There's not alot of shade on the freeway. Also you can soak them with some water that way, they will stay cool. It's possible, you will just have to keep an eye on them, stopping every few hours. Have you tried planning it so that most of the traveling (once you hit Texas) is done at night? That would solve all the problems right there.
If you do use frozen water jugs make sure to secure them to the sides so they don't slide. Those flat frozen gel sheets made for iceboxes might be good to put in. You could tie onto one end of the cage. They have these ice cube trays that have a long cyclindrical shaped ice cube used for frozen water bottles etc. I think walmart carries them. They are good to put into the water bottles and last longer than smaller pieces of ice. I would think that if you could stop every 4 hours or so to make sure they had enough water etc you could probably make it. Maybe you could just take 6 or so chickens and that way you could put them into pet carriers and take them into a motel 6 or other motel/ hotel that allows pets at night. If you used large pet carriers and had only 6 chickens or so you might be able to fit them inside the car with the air conditioner. Some of the big moving vans (Uhaul etc) have a place under the front seat that is big enough for one carrier.
You can put damp towels over the wire cage to use as an evaporative cooler, since you will be in dry climates once you get away from the coast, at least until you get to TX (I think it is more humid there, if so evaporative cooling doesn't work). Just keep re-moistening the towels. Check them every few hours especially in the beginning, you can tell from their behavior if they are overheating.
