How to Transport Chickens

Having a flock of backyard chickens is a wonderful thing, but it can certainly complicate your game plan when you’re getting ready to move to a new home. If you’re taking the whole setup with you, you’ll have to make a plan for how to move both your chickens and their coop. And even if you’re leaving the chicken coop behind, you’ll still need to figure out how you’re going to move your flock in a way that invokes minimal stress for both them and you. To help you figure out what your next steps are, we’ve put together this guide to how to transport chickens and your chicken coop, with helpful tips that will hopefully keep you from ruffling any feathers on moving day.

Preparing to transport chickens

You’ll want to give yourself plenty of time to work out the details of moving your chickens and their coop. The same goes for moving chickens without their coop, since you will have to accommodate local laws and the well-being of the various members of your flock.

Start to work out a plan as far in advance as possible (ideally a few months or more), paying close attention to the following issues:

Local laws

If you’re moving to a new town, make sure that backyard chickens are allowed. Some residential areas have limits on the number of chickens a single household can possess, or limit your ability to have chickens altogether. Fortunately, it’s becoming a lot more common to allow backyard flocks, but the local laws and regulations are definitely something you’ll want to know about sooner rather than later.

Need some guidance? Check out this resource on transporting livestock kept as pets from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AMVA).

Transportation

For obvious reasons, you can’t just put your flock in the back of a moving truck and call it a day—nor would you want to. Likewise, a professional moving company may not be able to move a chicken coop for you. You need to make more specialized transportation plans for your chickens and their coop, accounting for safety, efficiency, and, in the case of your chickens themselves, comfort.

Many people choose to move their flock in their car, assuming there’s enough room. Depending on the size of their chicken coop, they may then decide to either rent a flatbed truck or hire a local shed company to handle transportation of the structure.

Containment

The easiest (and preferred) way to contain a flock of chickens during a move is in wire dog crates. These provide ample ventilation and make it a cinch to clean up any on-the-road messes. You could also use large cardboard boxes or plastic bins fitted with ventilation holes, but these may not be as comfortable for your chickens or as sturdy during your move. However you go, your chickens will need access to food and water during the journey, both of which can be supplied by putting feeders in the containers.

Settling in

What will moving day look like and where will you put your chickens immediately upon arrival at your new home? If you need to move a chicken coop in addition to your flock, it may not be set up and ready to go on day one. The same is true if you purchased a new coop. You will need to consider where your chickens will stay until their home is ready for them and what you will do to reduce the immediate stress of the transition. Luckily we’ve got some tips for that below, so keep reading for guidance.

Tips for transporting chickens

The good news is that moving chickens isn’t all that different from moving other types of pets. Safety and stress reduction are your two main goals, and efficiency should also be a high priority since it will aid in both those things.

Here are some tips to consider as you move chickens, keeping in mind that you may need to make additional considerations based on the specific needs of your flock and the distance of your move.

• • Create a comfy environment. Your chickens might not be all that keen on taking a car ride, but there are things that you can do to make it a bit easier on them. For starters, cover the bottom of their crates in scratch hay from the coop, which will provide them with some entertainment, plus something comforting and familiar. Mix in some of their favorite herbs too for a special treat.
  • Move your flock at night. It tends to be easier to move chickens at night since they’re more likely to be in a dormant and relaxed state. If you do have to move during the day, place towels over the roofs of their containers to block out the sun’s glare and create at least a little bit of darkness.
  • Aggressive chicken? Crate them alone. You know your chickens best. If there are certain members of the flock who don’t play well with others, crate them alone. This will be better for them, and for your other chickens too.
  • Pair up everyone else by temperament. Figure out how many chickens you can comfortably fit in each container, then decide who will be traveling with whom. Try to work out who will make the best travel buddies, taking into consideration general temperaments and who normally gets along.
  • Skip the stops. Minimize stops as much as possible during your move, and try to skip them altogether if you can. The less time your chickens spend in transport the better, so aim to make it to your new home as quickly as possible, stopping only for quick bathroom breaks and gas. When you do stop, check on your chickens just to be sure that they have ample food and water and that everybody is doing okay. You can also give them a special treat at stops, such as dried grubs or sunflower seeds.

  Helping chickens acclimate to their new home

  Transportation is probably the most difficult part of how to move chickens, but even when you arrive at your new home you’re not quite in the clear yet.

  It is totally normal for your chickens to be wary upon arrival. Chickens are territorial, and they find the most comfort in familiar environments. While they may eventually get free rein of the land, keep them to a more confined space at the outset, such as a barn, a portable pen, or their coop, if it’s ready to go (a temporary coop would work too). Place their moving containers in the area and open the doors so that they can get out and explore at their own pace. And if you don’t have a new coop for them yet, plan to keep your chickens in their temporary space during the day and then move them and their crates to a contained area overnight, such as your garage.

  Don’t worry if your chickens stop laying eggs for a couple of weeks after your move. They still need to work out their routines and get comfortable in their new home. If you notice more worrisome signs of stress though, such as constant preening of feathers, aggression, or pale combs or wattles, it’s time to take more targeted stress relief measures. You can try to get ahead of stress by providing your chickens with probiotics and electrolytes in the period right before and after your move. Be sure to provide plenty of treats, too!

  What about transporting the chicken coop?

  When you move chickens, you need to decide if it’s worth it to move their coop too, or if you’re better off building a new one. Note that it’s possible the chicken coop is considered part of your property and will need to stay with it after you sell. If you’re planning to take it with you, be clear about that on your closing documents so that your buyer is well aware.

  Moving a chicken coop can be tricky, and may require that you disassemble all or part of it ahead of transport. If you have a small coop, however, you may be able to just stick it on a flatbed truck, or even the bed of a pickup truck. (It’s possible you could put it in your moving truck rental first, but check with the rental company just in case.)

  Want to hand off the task to the pros? Call up some nearby shed companies and ask if they can move your chicken coop for you and what it will cost to do so. They may need to come out to your property to assess the coop, so give yourself plenty of time for this step. As for cost, the further you have to move the more that the price tag is likely to go up. If you’re moving across state lines, it may be more cost-effective to just buy a new coop.

  It’s not complicated to move chickens and a coop to a new house, but it does require careful planning. Follow the steps and tips outlined above and it shouldn’t be too difficult to relocate your flock and keep everyone happy.