An excellent idea for a shipping box came along with a Red-breasted gander from David Moniuszko in Poulsbo, Washington . He had used a Rubbermaid storage box obtained from Wal-Mart which he altered by punching holes around the top. The top has a fastener on each end which is nice during the loading phase, but not secure enough for shipping. The top can be secured for shipping by drilling holes through the border of the top and the top of the box. Plastic wire ties can be pushed through the holes to secure the top to the box. I tried another brand that was made of more rigid plastic, but the side split while I was punching a hole.

18 and 30 Gallon Sizes

The equipment to transform the storage box into a shipping box can be obtained from Campbell Bosworth Machinery Company. The Osborne Number 245 Belt Punch which cuts a 5/8 inch hole was selected for use, but there are a variety of sizes in the array of Osborne Number 245 Belt Punches. All you need to operate the 245 punch is a hammer. About four whacks will drive the punch through the Rubbermaid plastic. They also have cutting boards made of 1 inch plastic that can be placed under the box to protect the punch as it passes through the side of the plastic box. The plastic cutting board is recommended, even though it is a bit expensive.

Tools

The idea was impressive in the name of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, etc. Environmentally what we use may not be as important as the length of time it takes the item selected to reach the landfill, the longer the better. Economically these boxes are winners as the largest box (about 30 gallons) is usually around $10.00. The smaller boxes (about 18 gallons) are close to $5.00. They are light weight so they contribute minimally to the Express Mail costs. They can be easily cleaned inside (hay or wood chips to absorb fluids during shipping) and outside so the employees at my Post Office like them. These can be used over and over so I request their return from buyers which if returned by USPS (minus the hay or wood chips) costs about as much as a new box without the holes. I tell the buyers the guy that punches the holes charges a lot.

The converted boxes work great for short term holding of Anser geese. A pair placed in a comparable sized wire cage would have their bills torn up in a matter of minutes as they try to push their bills through the spaces in the wire.

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Last Modified Thursday, 14-Jul-2005 11:27:58 CDT