Traveling with my girls

[wyllyschickens]

I am going to visit my mother in florida for about 3 weeks during Christmas. I live in Texas and it will take me about 18 hours or 2 days to get there. She has chickens and an amazing coop so I was thinking that I would take my 4 chickens along with me in a large dog crate. Does anyone have any thoughts or advice for me regarding how I should do this? Can I put a sheet over the cage the whole time to keep them less stressed? I have been reading that people don't want to do this because it can stress them out too much and they can even die!!!!! Please advise! Thanks

 

[Traphill]

Hi
All thou your intentions are probably good I think that you will really stress your chickens. Do you not have someone that can look after them while you are gone? Best of luck what ever you choose to do,

 

[MeepBeep]

IMO BAD idea even if the intentions are good...

1. They will stress out to the extreme during an 18 hour drive, could be lethal
2. The smell in your vehicle after even an hour will be extreme
3. They will be covered in poop within the first hour and by 18 yikes!
4. Complicated feeding and drinking logistics, sure they can 'survive' for 18 hours without but we are back at #1 above
5. Transmission and/or introduction to a disease

Number 5 is huge, you could wipe out your flock or your mothers by introducing a 'new' disease to one of the flocks that has no built up immunity...

IMO best to find a baby sitter at home...