Traveling with chickens?

[LottieDa]

We are about 3 years away from retiring

and my hubby and I have considered becoming part of the 'snow bird' migration.

(Nov - April in Arizona) (May - October in Idaho)

He thinks we'll have to either give our chickens away or take them as breasts, thighs & drumsticks in the freezer.

Although I'm ok with eating our chickens, I'm wondering if there isn't another option.

Has anyone here ever traveled with their chickens? I'm not thinking along the lines of keeping them in the motorhome with us but more like crating them up for the travel day, then setting up a portable chicken run / coop once we reach our

sunny, warm winter destination.

What are your thoughts on this. If I'm going to sell this idea to my husband, my arguments had better be pretty sound.

Thanks in advance for your advice. - Felicia

 

[dewey]

At least there's a couple of years to figure it out.

I know lots of folks that travel in RV's with animals, but mostly just a few pets. Will you be staying in one place or traveling around a lot...how many chickens and what size RV? It might get messy on the trip to and from, but if there's not too many chickens and the place you'll be staying allows them, why not? They might not lay very well. Found this thread talking about it... https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=338152

 

[LottieDa]

Thanks for the link Dewey.

IF (and it's a big IF) we do this, the 3 girls we would take would NOT be in our motorhome. They would be crated for the 1 day of travel only. We would set up a regular coop and run for them at our destination and we would remain their for 6 months so the ladies would have time to settle into their chicken habits and have their dust baths and their bug hunting.

I'm not at all sold on this idea. I just wondered if anyone had tried it and if it was more work than it was worth for the humans and more stress than it was worth for the chickens.

 

[dianaross77]

Taking them with you sounds perfectly reasonable. It's only 3. You could get a large wire dog crate (36"), put in a cement mixing tray from home depot or lowes (the big ones are a perfect fit for that size crate), add some pine pellets (they absorb moisture and odors much better than shavings), a water bottle and feed bowl that hooks on the wire of the cage, cut a 2x3 to the desired length (for a roost) drill a hole in each end and attach to wire with zip ties. And off you go! You can also get some craft felt by the yard from the fabric store to put on the sides of the cage to keep the dust down. Binder clips work well to hold it on. Then you can take it outside to shake it off every day or so.


36" collapsible wire dog crate with 3 access doors. http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Suitcase-Folding-Dog-Cage-Pet-Crate-Cat-Kennel-/280550785218?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item870b2c76eb
The tub that fits in a 36" crate. You just have to put it in from the side as it won't fit through the doors. http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay...gId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1

 

[dewey]

Ooh, yes, sounds very doable especially with only 3 chickens and only moving them once every 6 months. I wasn't thinking that you meant they'd live in the RV with you.

(Just to clarify, I asked about chicken number & RV size in regards to how much crating might be possible in conjunction with the amount of floor space available during transit.) Depending on where in AZ you'd be staying, the length of light and temp differences between the 2 states in the move months might be a consideration. I'm picturing chicken sweaters then misters, lol. I don't know what, if any, effect it could have on molting. Sounds like a doable adventure, though. Good luck whatever you decide.