Transporting your chickens to shows

[THough1956]

What do most of you take your chickens to the shows in?

Pet carriers are expensive if you have a lot to take.

I was considering big plastic storage tubs with lids, drilling large holes all around the sides for ventillation, but then I have silkies and I figure by the time I arrive at the show they would be pretty hot and sweaty in there and the blow drying and fluffying would have been in vain. Old fruit crates are a little to ghetto.

And then there is the issue of accually hauling them.

Any ideas!!

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

I know of several breeders that use the plastic tub method. It works great and helps keep them calm (darkness).

I like to use the pet-carriers, but that's because I pick them up at garage sales.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

We made our own carriers. Take some plywood and make a long box with hinged lids and open fronts. For the fronts use wooden dowels and a shorter piece of wood to keep shavings in. Also get some of that board with holes in it for shops and use that as dividers. Put handles on it also. Its pretty easy, we made ours the right size so they would fit in the back of the mini van. There are tons and tons of variations. Right now I am using the rubbermaid container with holes in it for my ducks.

 

[Ryu]

I pick up pet carriers at swaps cheap, and take them home and disinfect the puckey our of them. They are a little bulky, but my Standard cornish don't really fit in much else, and they get heavy fast if your try to carry more than 2.

If the trip is reasonably short, sometimes we will put them in shipping boxes (the kind for birds with the ventilation holes).

For the bantams we have nice wooden show boxes, with the wood dowel fronts and sliding tops.

One breeder uses office paper boxes (2 bantam wyandottes/box). They look great coming out of the boxes. I've been eyeballing that ype of box for my Cornish.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

I make my own ghetto carriers. Take a large clear plastic container with lid. Cut out an 8-10 inch square on each side and duct tape a piece of hardware cloth over the cut out area. Put shavings in the bottom and voila...instant carrier. No, the birds don't get hot at all...and I'm in Florida.

The other thing I like about them is that after you put the birds in and put the lid on, you can stack them in your SUV/Van, etc. I can stack them 3 high in my GMC Jimmy. They are light weight and when you get home, dump the shavings and bleach them out to disinfect.

 

[THough1956]

Thanks Yall!

 

[DUccleDude]

cardboard boxes are as cheap as it gets.

 

[joanie_maine]

Quote:
Isn't that the truth

Lots of air holes cut in the sides are easy....and you can throw them away after you use them!

 

[BluegrassSeramas]

Or RECYCLE Them!