What do they drink while in the mail?

[raingarden]

I need to mail some juvenile cemani to our son on another island. They might get there overnight but probably better to plan for two days. How do I keep them from dying of thirst? Seems like I heard of putting something in the box. Never sent or received chickens in the mail before.

 

[NatJ]

For day-old chicks, they don't really need food or water, because they absorb the yolk just before they hatch.

For older chicks or adult chickens, I've read that it's normal to include shredded carrot, or pieces of apple, or something similar that is moist but cannot spill and make a mess.

If it's only 24-48 hours, they should not DIE of thirst anyway. They are likely to be thirsty when they arrive, but not dead or in danger of dying.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Maybe some bits of watermelon or cantaloupe?

 

[Weeg]

All foods that are full of water.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Re: the graphic above - some of these foods should be avoided for chickens. My sources say green tomatoes and tomato leaves are toxic, but ripe tomatoes are OK. Spinach in moderation is OK. Best to avoid oranges and grapefruit (and all citrus), as the jury is still out on this one. Might lead to weak eggshells, but otherwise ok. You can feed peaches, apricots, plums and other pitted fruits, but remove the pits first.

 

[raingarden]

For older chicks or adult chickens, I've read that it's normal to include shredded carrot, or pieces of apple, or something similar that is moist but cannot spill and make a mess.

Got it. Thank you very much.

 

[Weeg]

Re: the graphic above - some of these foods should be avoided for chickens. My sources say green tomatoes and tomato leaves are toxic, but ripe tomatoes are OK. Spinach in moderation is OK. Best to avoid oranges and grapefruit (and all citrus), as the jury is still out on this one. Might lead to weak eggshells, but otherwise ok. You can feed peaches, apricots, plums and other pitted fruits, but remove the pits first.

This^^
I didn’t include which in the above list are toxic assuming the Op would know. But for any newbie of future member who comes across this thread I’m glad you pointed this out.

 

[Donna Ritter]

I need to mail some juvenile cemani to our son on another island. They might get there overnight but probably better to plan for two days. How do I keep them from dying of thirst? Seems like I heard of putting something in the box. Never sent or received chickens in the mail before.

Tell your son to put some electrolytes in the water. It will help the chickens recover quickly from stress of shipping. He can get electrolytes at a feed store or Walmart.