The Chicken Run aka No Room at the Inn

We left Kajjansi airfield with 500, 1 day old chicks on board heading for Maridi, South Sudan where a Chinese NGO had a community building farm operation.  The problems started when we loaded them into the aircraft. Too much pressure with the tie down straps and the chicks could be crushed, too little, and they’re careening around the cabin like popcorn!  We also had to closely watch the temperature in the plane to make sure they weren’t too cold or too warm. 

Unloading the precious cargo.

The next glitch happened in Arua.  Heavy thunder storms would keep us here for the night…  but what about the chicks!?  We had to find a way to keep them w.arm for the night.  Us two pilots started brainstorming with the passenger.  She thought maybe she could find a hotel and put all 500 of them in bed with her?  The hotel was not very keen on that idea!  We thought about buying a small charcoal stove and gathering the boxes of chicks around it in a small room- but there was the fear they would die of smoke inhalation!  We thought about storing them in our fuel storage container at the airfield, but the cold and fumes would get them.  

Figuring out what to do.

We were stuck and our passenger was getting quite upset since a previous attempt to get chicks into South Sudan had seen all 500 of them  die. Just then, some of the AIM Air (Africa Inland Missions) guys approached us - after filling them in about our situation they said we could use their garage and a heat lamp and stay the night in their guest rooms.  Thank you God, for good samaritans and a room in the garage when the Inn is full.  The chicks all survived their wild adventure and are now growing bigger at their new home in Maridi.

The chicks leaving to their new home.

Maridi, South Sudan from above.