Moving to new home and moving my ladies

[Coopcheney]

Hello,

Any advice on how to move four ladies to our new place? Anything that will make it less stressful. New house is about an hour away and I want to make sure i transport them safely and I definitely don’t want to stress them out.

 

[Sally PB]

What kind of vehicle are you using for the trip with the chickens?

#1 they need to be enclosed
#2 the enclosure has to be secured so that it won't fall/roll

A dog crate could work well. I'd suggest wrapping it in cardboard on the sides so that the ladies can't stick their heads through the bars.

I'd also suggest draping a towel over it so that it's darker in there. That will help keep them calm.

Don't worry about food or water for the trip. A washable blanket or towel on the floor of the crate will help them have more secure footing.

Another possibility would be pet carriers. You'd probably need two...?

 

[NatJ]

Any advice on how to move four ladies to our new place? Anything that will make it less stressful. New house is about an hour away and I want to make sure i transport them safely and I definitely don’t want to stress them out.

Get a coop & run set up at the new place.

Put all 4 chickens in something safe,* then put them in the car and drive to the new house.

Put the chickens in their new coop, with food and water, and shut them in. Leave them there until at least the next day.

After a day or two, let them have access to the new run during the daytime, but check to be sure they do go to bed in the coop.

If you want to let them free range, wait at least a few weeks, and be sure they are putting themselves to bed in the coop every night, before you try letting them out. They need time to get used to this new place as "home" before you can trust them to come back at night.


*For "something safe" to transport the chickens, it needs to keep the chickens in, and let air in and out. You do not want them slipping and sliding around, so consider putting an old towel or some hay or something similar on the bottom to give them good traction, and make sure it will not tip over. They will poop during the ride. They do not need to eat or drink during a 1 hour ride.

Things that can work for holding chickens while you drive: dog crate, cat carriers, a laundry baskets with an oven rack tied over the top, a cardboard box with plenty of ventilation holes, a garbage can with chicken wire over the top, anything else you can think up that will keep them in and still let them have plenty of air to breathe.

You can put all the chickens together, or put them in separate containers, depending on what size containers you have and what size chickens.

If you put the chickens in an all-wire dog crate, you could drape a towel or a sheet over part of it so they feel sheltered. But that is optional, and chickens can be safely transported without that. Plenty of air is more important than any feeling of safety.

 

[Evadig]

The others' advice is good. I used wire dog crates, two hens to each one. I did not cover them up. I put a branch through the wires for them to perch and pine shavings/straw on the floor. That was for a sixteen-hour road trip in a mini van .

 

[Mrs. K]

Really, that quick of trip, even a gunny sack will work. I had someone bring me chickens that way, and while a bit dirty, they were no worse for wear. If you fret about it, take them off the roost at night, put in a box, drive to the new place, and put them on the roost there.

If your new place has a secure run attached to the coop, then I do not lock mine in the coop, but rather confine them to the coop/run. I have never had full grown chickens roost anywhere except the coop, if the coop set up was the best place to roost.

No matter how you do it, I would expect laying as normal for 2-3 days, and then maybe a pause in laying, maybe for a week to 10 days.