About three years ago, I started a small private aviary raising and selling my now 17 different species of wild waterfowl. I had a lot of out of state interest in the birds, which quickly brought about the need to start offering shipping. I've received lots of shipped birds, including baby fowl and hatching eggs, and if you have ever gotten shipped birds you'll know how much variation there is in shipping methods and preferences. I talked to lots of different people while trying to develop a reliable shipping method, and I've changed it quite a bit to develop it into what it is now. I've shipped probably 50 birds at least over the past couple years and never had any get lost or die in transit. I even had one box get dropped and mostly smashed in shipping, but the extra set of flaps completely protected the birds inside. The buyer was very happy. They would have definitely died if they had been in anything else, including the horizon shipping boxes. They're just too flimsy for my liking.
So this article is going to be a "how-to" on how I make my boxes.
To start you're going to need some 12"x12"x12" boxes. We have a box company nearby that sells these off the shelf. They're very cheap, at $1.50 a piece.
The USPS charges extra now for anything longer than 12", so I'm limited to that size. It's almost double to ship a box that's just a couple inches wider.
You'll need two boxes for each pair of birds you are shipping. I can fit two medium ducks per box, I have never used this with chickens but you'd be able to fit two bantam or small chickens per box. Probably only one large chicken would fit comfortably.
Two 12" square boxes
Put the bottoms together and use packaging tape to make sure they're secure. Leave the tops open.
To be sure no liquid from the food cup or wet poop deteriorates the bottom of the box, I attach a square of plastic to the bottom of one box as a waterproof barrier. I usually use feed bags for this. (One of the endless number of uses for feed bags, right?)
Take this box and sandwich it inside of the other box. Push gently and evenly so you don't pop the bottom out.
Cut the top flaps off the inside box so the flaps of the outer box will close properly over them.
I apply a dab of super glue to firmly attach the inside box to the outer one at the top. You can also run zipties through the vent holes later on though if you'd rather go that route. Either way works fine.
Vent hole time! The more vents the better when shipping birds as long as it doesn't compromise the integrity of the box. I do four holes on each side. That way if a side gets blocked, there's still plenty of holes to let in air on the other sides. Proper air flow keeps the birds from getting stressed and overheating as well.
I try to make them even so it looks nice, it doesn't take much longer to do it.
Take a ruler and mark the spots evenly. I usually do them two inches apart, but leave a four inch gap in the center for the packaging tape to go when I close it up later.
Marked with pencil on all four sides
I use a 3/4" drill bit, I think it works best. It's small enough they can't stick their heads or bills through and get injured, but big enough to allow a good amount of air flow.
Put the pointy part of the bit right on the line and apply slow steady pressure until it eats through.
Remove any cardboard hanging down inside of the holes from the drilling
Break out your trusty super bright neon duct tape
Attach it to all four sides in alternating colors. This seems to be the most attention-grabbing.
I write on each side like this
(Phone number of the buyer is blocked out)
Add a strip of tape on top of one of the outer flaps again stating "Call XXX-XXX-XXXX On Arrival"
Really want to reiterate this point.
After the marker dries, I put packaging tape on top of all of the neon tape so the marker can't smear and rub off if it gets wet or whatever. (Don't forget to put a piece over the tape on the top flap too)
Put a layer of grass hay in the bottom of the box. I like hay the best of anything because it's not dusty, and also provides a bit of insulation if they encounter cold or hot temps. I try to avoid this but once they're shipped, you never know what conditions they're placed in. It's also absorbent to a degree as well. Wood chips are way too dusty and can give them eye infections or get stuck in their nares. I don't use too much hay since there's already limited space, but enough that it'll keep the bottom of the box covered and protect their legs.
The next step is obviously optional, but because USPS tracking has completely gone down the drain, I use Apple AirTags to track my birds. They're so much more reliable, and the buyers greatly appreciate that their birds don't end up just lost somewhere. I put one in a prepaid envelope and tape it inside the box. That way all the buyer has to do is detach it and drop it off at the post office after their birds arrive. I've had all tags be returned to me thus far.
Tag attached
Irrelevant if you're not shipping protected waterfowl, but after this I also attach the necessary notice of transfer slip in a baggie inside the box.
Wait to do this last step until you're about to put the birds in. I always wait to take them to the post office until about fifteen minutes before closing. You'll want to have already caught and penned your birds so you can grab them easily as soon as you're ready to go. You'll also want to have prepared a frozen food cup at least one day in advance. I use any sturdy small container for this. It's a good idea to pre-poke holes in them to attach them later, but I didn't in this particular case. It's not a big deal, but you have to be more careful since freezing them makes the plastic more brittle.
To prepare the food cup, pre-poke two holes in the back. I use an awl for this. For food I use scratch grain. It doesn't break down and detiorate like commercial feed, and the birds are usually happy to eat it if they get hungry since it still looks like food, and not mush. Put a handful in the bottom, fill it most of the way with water, and then sit it level in the freezer until it freezes solid.
I didn't take any pics of this, it's pretty self-explanatory.
Food cup frozen and ready to go. I just put the ziptie through the holes on it here.
Line it up on your box, my boxes already have crease type marks on them so I just line it up with those. Poke two holes through the box to attach the ziptie through, they should be the same length apart as the holes on your food cup
Pull the ziptie ends through the box
Close the ziptie snugly, and clip off the excess. I then use a metal file on the end and remove and possible sharp points. You could put the ziptie through to where it closes inside of the box instead of outside, but it's trickier and I usually just don't bother. As long as there's no sharp parts it's totally fine.
Feed cup attached and ready for the birds to go in.
I also usually fill out the little shipping labels ahead of time, but you can do that at the post office too.
Ducks in box (different shipment)
All boxed up!
At the post office... I ship priority two-day, and I always ship on Monday or Tuesday so they are safely delivered before the weekend. Be sure the buyer will be around on the day of arrival to pick them up, and that they let their local post office know the birds are coming. And to, again, call them upon arrival. If shipped on Monday they should arrive Wednesday morning, and if shipped on Tuesday they should arrive Thursday morning. Make sure no holidays are coming up that could delay mail shipping times. I keep the buyer updated on tracking so they know whether they're moving through transit normally or not.
Now Wednesday morning, and they're safely delivered. You can see how good of condition the box is in. These particular birds were shipped 1,633 miles.
So to conclude, shipping birds isn't hard. It becomes pretty helpful when you are raising rare birds or raising birds on a large scale, since you aren't limited to just local interest. It's pretty cool to be able to box up a bird and ship it to someone clean across the country, and have it survive.
I sure wish I could have had a guide like this when I was learning. I hope this is helpful!
So this article is going to be a "how-to" on how I make my boxes.
To start you're going to need some 12"x12"x12" boxes. We have a box company nearby that sells these off the shelf. They're very cheap, at $1.50 a piece.
The USPS charges extra now for anything longer than 12", so I'm limited to that size. It's almost double to ship a box that's just a couple inches wider.
You'll need two boxes for each pair of birds you are shipping. I can fit two medium ducks per box, I have never used this with chickens but you'd be able to fit two bantam or small chickens per box. Probably only one large chicken would fit comfortably.
Two 12" square boxes
Put the bottoms together and use packaging tape to make sure they're secure. Leave the tops open.
To be sure no liquid from the food cup or wet poop deteriorates the bottom of the box, I attach a square of plastic to the bottom of one box as a waterproof barrier. I usually use feed bags for this. (One of the endless number of uses for feed bags, right?)
Take this box and sandwich it inside of the other box. Push gently and evenly so you don't pop the bottom out.
Cut the top flaps off the inside box so the flaps of the outer box will close properly over them.
I apply a dab of super glue to firmly attach the inside box to the outer one at the top. You can also run zipties through the vent holes later on though if you'd rather go that route. Either way works fine.
Vent hole time! The more vents the better when shipping birds as long as it doesn't compromise the integrity of the box. I do four holes on each side. That way if a side gets blocked, there's still plenty of holes to let in air on the other sides. Proper air flow keeps the birds from getting stressed and overheating as well.
I try to make them even so it looks nice, it doesn't take much longer to do it.
Take a ruler and mark the spots evenly. I usually do them two inches apart, but leave a four inch gap in the center for the packaging tape to go when I close it up later.
Marked with pencil on all four sides
I use a 3/4" drill bit, I think it works best. It's small enough they can't stick their heads or bills through and get injured, but big enough to allow a good amount of air flow.
Put the pointy part of the bit right on the line and apply slow steady pressure until it eats through.
Remove any cardboard hanging down inside of the holes from the drilling
Break out your trusty super bright neon duct tape
Attach it to all four sides in alternating colors. This seems to be the most attention-grabbing.
I write on each side like this
(Phone number of the buyer is blocked out)
Add a strip of tape on top of one of the outer flaps again stating "Call XXX-XXX-XXXX On Arrival"
Really want to reiterate this point.
After the marker dries, I put packaging tape on top of all of the neon tape so the marker can't smear and rub off if it gets wet or whatever. (Don't forget to put a piece over the tape on the top flap too)
Put a layer of grass hay in the bottom of the box. I like hay the best of anything because it's not dusty, and also provides a bit of insulation if they encounter cold or hot temps. I try to avoid this but once they're shipped, you never know what conditions they're placed in. It's also absorbent to a degree as well. Wood chips are way too dusty and can give them eye infections or get stuck in their nares. I don't use too much hay since there's already limited space, but enough that it'll keep the bottom of the box covered and protect their legs.
The next step is obviously optional, but because USPS tracking has completely gone down the drain, I use Apple AirTags to track my birds. They're so much more reliable, and the buyers greatly appreciate that their birds don't end up just lost somewhere. I put one in a prepaid envelope and tape it inside the box. That way all the buyer has to do is detach it and drop it off at the post office after their birds arrive. I've had all tags be returned to me thus far.
Tag attached
Irrelevant if you're not shipping protected waterfowl, but after this I also attach the necessary notice of transfer slip in a baggie inside the box.
Wait to do this last step until you're about to put the birds in. I always wait to take them to the post office until about fifteen minutes before closing. You'll want to have already caught and penned your birds so you can grab them easily as soon as you're ready to go. You'll also want to have prepared a frozen food cup at least one day in advance. I use any sturdy small container for this. It's a good idea to pre-poke holes in them to attach them later, but I didn't in this particular case. It's not a big deal, but you have to be more careful since freezing them makes the plastic more brittle.
To prepare the food cup, pre-poke two holes in the back. I use an awl for this. For food I use scratch grain. It doesn't break down and detiorate like commercial feed, and the birds are usually happy to eat it if they get hungry since it still looks like food, and not mush. Put a handful in the bottom, fill it most of the way with water, and then sit it level in the freezer until it freezes solid.
I didn't take any pics of this, it's pretty self-explanatory.
Food cup frozen and ready to go. I just put the ziptie through the holes on it here.
Line it up on your box, my boxes already have crease type marks on them so I just line it up with those. Poke two holes through the box to attach the ziptie through, they should be the same length apart as the holes on your food cup
Pull the ziptie ends through the box
Close the ziptie snugly, and clip off the excess. I then use a metal file on the end and remove and possible sharp points. You could put the ziptie through to where it closes inside of the box instead of outside, but it's trickier and I usually just don't bother. As long as there's no sharp parts it's totally fine.
Feed cup attached and ready for the birds to go in.
I also usually fill out the little shipping labels ahead of time, but you can do that at the post office too.
Ducks in box (different shipment)
All boxed up!
At the post office... I ship priority two-day, and I always ship on Monday or Tuesday so they are safely delivered before the weekend. Be sure the buyer will be around on the day of arrival to pick them up, and that they let their local post office know the birds are coming. And to, again, call them upon arrival. If shipped on Monday they should arrive Wednesday morning, and if shipped on Tuesday they should arrive Thursday morning. Make sure no holidays are coming up that could delay mail shipping times. I keep the buyer updated on tracking so they know whether they're moving through transit normally or not.
Now Wednesday morning, and they're safely delivered. You can see how good of condition the box is in. These particular birds were shipped 1,633 miles.
So to conclude, shipping birds isn't hard. It becomes pretty helpful when you are raising rare birds or raising birds on a large scale, since you aren't limited to just local interest. It's pretty cool to be able to box up a bird and ship it to someone clean across the country, and have it survive.
I sure wish I could have had a guide like this when I was learning. I hope this is helpful!
