Poultry Carriers

Poultry Transport, Reimagined: Fold-Flat Modular Carriers for Shows, Swaps, and Sales

What started as a class project has grown into a real-world engineering solution for poultry keepers. This ongoing design focuses on creating durable, foldable, and modular poultry carriers specifically geared toward show birds, exhibition transport, and hobbyists who regularly bring birds to and from swaps, fairs, and contests.

These carriers are built entirely from plastic for easy sanitation, longevity, and safe transport. But what makes this project stand out is the level of engineering behind it. Using AutoCAD Inventor, the entire system has been modeled with an emphasis on collapsibility and part interchangeability. Every element is designed to be easily assembled and disassembled without tools, allowing users to break them down flat when not in use or stack them securely during transport.

To make sure these carriers don’t just look good on screen, we ran Finite Element Analysis (FEA) on key components to test how they would perform under stress. We modeled real-world scenarios: stacking multiple carriers in a vehicle, side impact during movement, and the strain placed on handles when lifting with a bird inside. These simulations guided improvements in design—like ribbed panel reinforcements and rounded corners that reduce stress concentrations—ensuring both strength and user comfort.

We also focused on design for manufacturing and field usability. Components were modeled with injection molding and thermoforming in mind, which allows for consistent, scalable production. Features like customizable floor grids, secure latching mechanisms, and modular side panels give the user flexibility to adjust each carrier to suit different bird sizes or species.

As the project moves forward, prototypes will be built for real-world testing, with feedback from poultry exhibitors shaping the next round of refinements. The end goal is a high-quality, reconfigurable transport system that’s easy to clean, easy to carry, and built to last—a modern solution for an old challenge in the poultry world.