Shipping hens??

[domromer]

In a few months we plan on moving back to AZ and were planning on giving our hens to another family. In the meantime friends of ours down in AZ have offered to watch our hens for us until we get a house. Is it possible to ship full grown hens? Is it safe? We plan on driving a uhual from Oregon to Az. Would it be possible to drive them down my self? We have 6 hens.

Would the change in climate be too much for them? Going from the cool Pacific NW to the Sonoran desert. We have six hens in total. two buffs, 2 barreds, a speckled sussex and a Jersey giant. I've heard the buffs don't do well in the heat. I'd like to keep all my girls but I wouldn't want to hurt any of them with the move or dramatic change in climate.

What do you guys think?

 

[EweSheep]

If you ship, better ship them in the fall which it would be cooler and less stressful on them as well. Pack them plenty of fruits, apples and grapes.

It would be wise to contact both PO to see if they would ship chickens and if not, you can see if they would deliver to the nearest big city like Phoenix which I am certain you could take a drive up there and pick them up.

Shipping would be fine with all those breeds of birds and when they get home, add a bit of those gatorade in their water and let them relax in their new home.

If you got room, it would be best to take the chickens with you if you can not afford the shipping costs which it may cost around thirty to forty dollars per bird to be shipped. If you can get a large dog carrier, they will do just fine and if it is a hot day, make sure they got water and if you can, pack some frozen pop containers so they can lay on it during the travel.

If it is warmer than usual than OR, be expected them to molt heavily when they settle in their new home and give them lots of love and care. They will be just fine!

 

[prariechiken]

More than likely way too hot to ship to Arizona now. I think the cut off on shipping poultry is 85 degrees at either the destination or point of origin. If you do eventually ship you will need USPO approved shipping containers, search horizon shipping containers, they have the approved bio filter containers. Take precautions to minimize stress in any move. Temperature fluctuations can be rough on the birds, but they survive it. It can be 80s here where we are one day, and down in the 40s the next, and they do fine, just have to watch for any signs of stress induced illness. If you house them accordingly and provide plenty of water and a shady spot to get to, the dry heat of Arizona will probably be more tolerable than the extreme humidity our birds face in our Kansas summers. Good luck with your move...

 

[domromer]

If I did ship them it wouldn't be until October. I'm thinking I wouldn't bother to ship them. Just load them into dog crates and put them in the uhaul.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

I moved from Portland to Okanogan & it wasn't quite as long as AZ to OR...but it was close to 8 hours (not including stops). I moved two full-grown muscovy ducks. I put them in a large crate in the bed of the pick up & wrapped the crate on 3 sides with a sheet & then a tarp. They made it okay. I would drive them yourself, rather than shipping them. Shipping costs would be very high & it would be more risky than doing it yourself...

 

[domromer]

Would those rabbit waterers work? The kind with the little metal tube and the ball in the end. Can chickens use those?