Traveling with chicks

[Sunnysavanna]

So I am going on a two hour trip next week and will be gone for several days. I am trying to decide whether to take my chicks with me or try and have someone come over to look in on them while I'm gone. They will be less than two weeks old, so still pretty little. The person who could check on them would only be able to come once a day and she's not really interested in holding them or handling them at all. So which would be best for the chicks? I'd like to take them with me, but I also don't want to stress them out too much. Any suggestions?

 

[rosemarythyme]

I would not travel with them, traveling is stressful for many animals and it'll be very difficult to provide the chicks with a stable environment while in a car.

Chickens are fairly self sufficient, even at a young age, so I would have someone stop by and check on them regularly. Make sure they know how to handle refilling food and water and maybe some cleanup (as chicks are prone to making a mess of things), and have them just monitor the chicks' overall health as best they can.

 

[AllynTal]

You don't say how many chicks. If your car is big enough to accommodate a brooder box, it's possible to use a power converter and plug a heating pad into it. I haven't done this, but I was set up to do it when I planned on driving three hours to pick up some chicks from a breeder. I ended up getting fertilized eggs shipped, instead. The converters are inexpensive and easy to find at truck-stops. They plug into the cigarette lighter. The heating pad needs to be one that either doesn't have auto shutoff or the auto shutoff can be disabled. It's easier to brooder chicks with a heating pad instead of a brooder lamp anyway. Keeping the water from spilling might be a problem in a moving car, though. So it can be done, but all things considered, the chicks would probably be better off staying home. As long as someone comes over everyday to check on things and they're in a safe place, they'll be fine. Chicks already know how to be chickens. As long as they have food, water, a place to get warm (and a place to be cool), and a safe environment, they take care of the rest. I would probably put an extra waterer in there for them so if one gets spilled or contaminated, they still have water.

 

[azygous]

AT gives great advice. My advice depends on whether your trip is a road trip or if you will only be in a vehicle for a short time until you reach your destination.

Preparing to brood chicks in a travel vehicle can be done rather easily, but you will need to make preparations. I would use sand as a bedding since it's easy to keep clean and a nipple water bottle instead of the conventional kind. The heating pad is perfect for this sort of brooding.

If you are going to be only traveling for a few hours there and back with a long period stationary in the middle, that's even easier. I would just wet the chick food and do without a waterer in transit, then set up when you reach your destination. A hot water bottle can supply the necessary heat for a couple or three hours during transit.

You can do just about anything with some creative thinking.