Live chickens

[Poowshaworety]

Has anyone ever built a small coop for live chickens (maybe two) on an extended overland trip?
I have a tacoma with a 5ft bed.
I wouldn’t mind some fresh eggs each morning during a long trip.

I know this is a bit of a silly idea but it might be worth discussing.

If it wouldn’t work on a small truck, what about on a larger one?

 

[Kozysnack]

 

[grubworm]

i say let them be a REALLY free range chicken....

 

[Boostpowered]

You wouldn't really need a coop just 2 small cages. 12x12x12 wire cages would work they are easy but time consuming to make though due to all the cage clamps you'd have to crimp. Or go online an find some livestock cages pre made, the chicken doesn't even really need to stand up. The stress of traveling and being away from the home coop though Will likely cause the chicken to stop laying, possibly for the rest of the season.

 

[Longshot270]

People sell farm fresh eggs all over the place and if you time your travels and errands with local farmer’s markets, you’ll still have fresh eggs routinely. Buying a dozen here and there from locals is better for everyone in the long run.

If you aren’t gone for a month at a time, our birds easily take care of themselves for up to two weeks.

 

[madcratebuilder]

Chickens do not travel well, hens well not lay.

 

[caj13]

yup - like Mad Crate builder says, they will shut down on you, no eggs, but - you do get the added bonus of dealing with loads of chicken sh$t everyday - so you have that going for you!

 

[Poowshaworety]

How do I get them to not shut down on me and still produce eggs?

 

[caj13]

leave em home - the stress of the changing environment, and being hauled all over - no bueno

 

[madcratebuilder]

I've kept dumb birds most my life. Chickens need quiet safe area to lay. They can become very tame. I gave me neighbor a fancy hen and it became house trained, acted like a dog following her around.

 

[Boostpowered]

You could use ducks they stress alot less than chickens and lay just as many better tasting, larger eggs. The chickens I take to sell at auction always shut down, the ducks I take to auction usually have an egg in the cage by the time we get there. They would be a messier bird but are great layers.

Anytime my chickens see an opossum or coon they stop laying for a week or more after I've eliminated the threat, unless a critter gets ahold of the ducks the don't really care much.

You can make a duck a pet too they already try on their own when you hand raise em since you get imprinted as their parent.

 

[MidOH]

Hey man, what you do on your own time, is none of my business.

 

[Poowshaworety]

Ducks sound intruiging, can anyone second what Boostpowered says?

additional info?
How do they do in the cold?

 

[old_man]

Why bother. Eggs keep for 3-4 week in a fridge. I bet less than one in a thousand people on here will every be totally away from civilization for a month at a time. If so, you are going to be eating out of a can or sticking to beans and rice. Eggs do quite well at room temp for a week or better.

 

[Poowshaworety]

Right, but that wasn’t the question.
haha!

anyone have more info on ducks?

 

[MidOH]

Not to mention that every store in BFE has fresh eggs.

 

[bgenlvtex]

@jedclampett

 

[SWLands]

When we had chickens my dad explained it was eggs for breakfast or chicken for dinner - their call.

 

[old_man]

I forget what state it is down south but it is littering to leave anything on the side of the road, except chicken feathers. When transporting chickens, the stress causes them to lose feathers and it would be impossible to transport chickens for slaughter.

 

[Anak]

C.W. McCall on the subject of transporting chickens