When can we transport baby chicks?

[alynyc]

Hi! My 3 year old son is hatching some peeps this year (in our NYC apartment), and then we are taking them to my dad's farm in PA. I was wondering (and I could not find an answer elsewhere) how old they need to be before we can drive them out to PA? I have it arranged so the brooder can be easily transported with the heat lamp in our car. It is about a 4+ hour drive from our apartment to the farm. Can they safely be moved around 3 days old? I will, of course, make sure there is plenty of food, and water, and heat the whole trip. But I have no idea how the car ride will stress them out, or whether that is an issue.

Thanks for any info/advice!

 

[Ridgerunner]

They don’t need food and water during the 4 hour trip. That sounds like a recipe for a total mess in the car. Have food and water available in case you run into problems and delays, but you really don’t need it for that time period. Just offer them food and water before you start and after you get there.

Unless you are driving on some really bumpy roads that rid should not stress them at all. Day old chicks are mailed without any heat, though there are usually enough of them to help keep each other warm. You do need to plan it and have some contingency plans, but what you are talking about should not be a problem unless something really unexpected happens.

Good luck!

 

[alynyc]

Thank you!! I've been stressing out about it. I will keep the food and water *out* of the brooder, in case of emergency. And there are a lot of pot holes this time of year, but we should be able to avoid the worst of the bumps.

Thanks again for the info!!

 

[aoxa]

What Ridgerunner said

You don't need to heat either. Just the car heat and their own warmth should be fine, but it is nice to have a backup in case they start to crowd in a corner. Food and water does sound like a messy situation.

The box should be small enough to retain heat with holes for air.

 

[what did I do]

How many peeps are you hatching? I think you would be able to keep them at home for your son to play with for a week or two without getting overwhelmed by the smell as long as you stay on top of cleaning the bedding.

 

[Fred's Hens]

You can always toss one of the heat pads, the kind folks use for winter sports and put in their mittens and boots?

It might take the edge off enough so your don't have to wear T-tops and cut off shorts the whole drive, since the heater would be blasting.

 

[aoxa]

It might take the edge off enough so your don't have to wear T-tops and cut off shorts the whole drive, since the heater would be blasting.

Been there done that. Chicks were comfortable, but we were NOT lol

 

[alynyc]

Thank you all so much! I feel reasonably prepared now

One more question, if any of you know, is there anything I should look to avoid in the pine shavings for their post-hatch home? There are a lot of options on amazon, and a lot of conflicting reviews. Do they need to be certain size of shavings? Should I put the paper towels down on top of the shavings initially?

Thanks again! I haven't hatched/cared for chicks since I was a kid, and there is just a lot I don't remember!

 

[aoxa]

Thank you all so much! I feel reasonably prepared now

One more question, if any of you know, is there anything I should look to avoid in the pine shavings for their post-hatch home? There are a lot of options on amazon, and a lot of conflicting reviews. Do they need to be certain size of shavings? Should I put the paper towels down on top of the shavings initially?

Thanks again! I haven't hatched/cared for chicks since I was a kid, and there is just a lot I don't remember!

I put them on kiln dried pine shavings right away. I like medium sized flakes. Not saw dust, not huge flakes either.


Here is the flake size I use

 

[alynyc]

So far 2 baby chicks have hatched, and several more have made the first peck through their shells. I have to say, I'm awfully nervous! I haven't done this since I was a kid! So, if any of you lovely people have any more advice for me, I'd LOVE it!

Both of them were SUPER active immediately, tumbling around inside the incubator and messing with the other eggs, so we had to take them out of there. They seem to be doing well so far (lots of sleeping, now).

We have them in a little cardboard brooder, and the light is a 250W red heater bulb...it is up pretty high and they seem comfortable temperature-wise (and they have a nice area to go to if they get too hot).

So...everything good? They have a little dish of food and water in the brooder. We are keeping an eye on the 9 remaining eggs (2 of which I'm virtually certain were never fertilized), but what about when we go to bed? If they hatch and we are asleep...should be fine? Also, should I add another wet sponge to the incubator since we had to open it very briefly twice to get the chicks out?

Sorry for all the questions! I just want to make sure I'm not screwing anything up!

Thanks!