Transporting pullets safely?

[NaturalChick]

I will be transporting five to nine pullets and a cockerel. They will be about 14 to 17 weeks old. I have to transport them in the back of a pick up truck. I am going to make a box for them, but the drive will be approx. 3 hours. Any ideas to keep them safe and happy? Thanks!

 

[asher]

I would just make sure they are tied down well and maybe put tarps over the "box" partially. This would be to keep them protected from the sun and the wind.

I would also put in some fruits like watermelon, etc. to keep them hydrated.

If you don't want to make a box, check thrift shops for large pet taxis. If you do make a box, make sure there's plenty of room and ventilation so that they do not become overheated.

 

[suburbanhomesteader]

I've put 10 full-grown Cornish Xs (which are probably a LOT bigger than your birds) in a large dog crate that looked like this:

http://www.discount-pet-superstore.com/dog_crates/imperial_wire_crates.htm

My crate has a 36x24 floor and I loaded them up, tied the crate up against the front of the pickup bed, and away they went. I checked on them a couple of times and after 2-3 minutes, they looked like they were asleep. Once I used the same crate but only moved 5 birds; there was too much room in there for them to move around, and they all packed into a little more than one square foot of corner.

Good luck!

 

[NaturalChick]

To suburbanhomesteader: Did you cover the crate so they could not see out? That is one thing I worry about, seeing the movement. I have even thought about having little hoods for them so they can't see like the hawk and falcon hoods, but maybe I'm all wrong.

 

[suburbanhomesteader]

I've done it both ways.

To be honest, they freaked more when I covered and uncovered the crate than they did without. Without it, they were in the pickup so they couldn't see much out the sides, and they didn't seem phased by anything they might have seen overhead.

 

[NaturalChick]

Thanks suburbanhomesteader.

 

[JennsPeeps]

I commute by bus through Seattle & regularly see chickens in cages on semis (the trail of snowy feathers on the freeway always cracks me up). They don't seem to care about the movement at all.

Of course, sometimes I see those same cages on the way home... only empty.