Bad Weather Preparedness?

[Sarahh_Janeyy]

Ok this might sound a little nutty... I haven't even gotten chickens yet but the last two bad storms we got in the past week had me waking up in the middle of the night and suddenly scared for my non-existent chickens!! I live in Florida, and I grew up with hurricanes, and I'm thinking about all the ways to make sure the run isn't going anywhere. I'm planning on converting a playhouse (which is above ground and has probably been in the ground for the last 10 years, it's not going anywhere) but I'm thinking about the run flying away, the chickens flying away, water getting into the coop and everyone getting soaked, just all that sorta thing. I figure the only way I'm gonna not be nervous about it is for me to have the chickens and get through a storm, but.. I was wondering.. What do you all do to prepare for a storm? How do you make sure your coop and run is secure? Cement? Tarps? Something else?

Meanwhile, someone in the neighborhood next to me has a very flimsy small run I can see from the road, and when I first moved in, I actually did see the chickens out a lot (with no fence or anything). And I wonder why I'm even worried about stuff like this.

Thanks!

 

[Wezdin]

The chickens are going to go in the coop during a bad storm, as for the run if it is just made from chicken wire it shouldn't blow away because the wind has nothing to catch.

 

[BDutch]

We don’t have to deal with hurricanes and bad storms out here. Someone from Florida or the Pacific probably can give you a better advice. But what I think is this;
Make a solid construction with an A frame and don’t use tarps.

Let the winds go over you're coop-to-be, like with a streamlined car. And don't let the wind go under (or catch) anything.

If the weather is awfull the want-to-have chickens probably want to go inside the coop if you make a safe haven there for them. A solid coop with space enough to stay in there for a couple of days is a good thing.

A run can also be covered with netting. The wind goes through. So that should give no problem with the wind.

I have a lightweight run made from a party tent frame with only hardware cloth an strong netting. And never had problem with normal storms. If it rains a lot my chickens hide inside the coop.

 

[Henry&Friends]

The chickens are going to go in the coop during a bad storm, as for the run if it is just made from chicken wire it shouldn't blow away because the wind has nothing to catch.

agreed, make sure the coop can’t blow away and make sure nothing will fall onto the coop (trees, branches, etc) and you should be okay. My coop isn’t grounded and my birds won’t go in during the day unless it’s REALLY wet & windy out, so I hold the door open about a foot with 2 sticks.

 

[Sarahh_Janeyy]

Thanks all! Something to consider if I cover the run with something for the sunlight, if it might catch the wind.

 

[BDutch]

Thanks all! Something to consider if I cover the run with something for the sunlight, if it might catch the wind.

Of course you can put a cover over it a long as you don't expect stormy weather. If it easy to put up and pull down this should work for you. E.g. like a tarpaulin for a trailer.

 

[Mrs. K]

I think you just need to go back to bed! Night jitters. If the play house has been there for 10 years, you are probably going to be fine. No sense in borrowing trouble.

 

[Eelantha]

@Sarahh_Janeyy You do not sound nutty at all, it is perfectly understandable to be worried (paranoid) for your animals (been there). To be honest though, if floods are a real threat in your area, I'd go for ducks instead of chickens, as the former can swim where the latter mostly can't. I understand that ducks are rather messy to care for, but the swimming factor might just be what saves the lives of your birds if your renovated and reinforced coop does get flooded.