Chicken disaster preparedness

[mamaKate]

Does anybody make plans or take other measures to prepare for natural disasters? When my neighborhood was under a voluntary evacuation notice last spring, I ended up (at my son-in-law's insistence ) huddled in their basement with 3 dogs, 2 cats and 4 of my chickens after an emergency run to WalMart for $300 worth of crates. I crated the big birds and set them high on the back porch and left them in place. The levy held and water never made it into my house--Praise God- but I'm thinking I should make better arrangements next year. Any thoughts?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

During my most recent builds I kept in mind what I learned at Mayan villages in the Yucatan and Central America and how they build to hurricanes for thousands of years. They build solid roofs and no walls which allows the high winds to blow straight through.
We don't get hurricanes but we do get high straight line winds and tornados.
I think this last complex would not prevent drafts but would withstand anything but a direct tornado hit.

 

[drumstick diva]

sounds like a very good idea. I hope people will chime in with their suggestions for different types of emergencies - floods, hurricanes. snow storms, etc. I would think having gallons of water stored for chickens. People can get by on soda, or milk or something else to quench their thirst if they don't have safe water to drink. Lengthy power failures need to be addressed as well.

 

[drumstick diva]

sounds like a very good idea. I hope people will chime in with their suggestions for different types of emergencies - floods, hurricanes. snow storms, etc. I would think having gallons of water stored for chickens. People can get by on soda, or milk or something else to quench their thirst if they don't have safe water to drink. Lengthy power failures need to be addressed as well.

 

[JD4570]

My coop is designed to be shuttered for storms and should survive a weak cat. 3 hurricane .

I also have a water storage tank with over 500 gal. and keep at least 200lbs. of feed on hand.

 

[Oregon Blues]

We had a wildfire get close a couple of weeks ago.

No problem. I've got lots of dog crates. I can herd the birds into their night run, block them into a corner with X-pen panels, and have them stuffed into crates in no time. The crates go into my van, and off we go. The birds would be a little crowded, but hey, they'd be alive.

The dogs and I have fire drills. They practice running out the door as fast as they can move and piling into my van at top speed. I won't have time to chase them through the neighborhood if we get evacuated.

My family has discussed what gets taken, so there is no running around trying to grab something without knowing what to take. We take things like the towers from the computers. The rest of it can be replaced.

If I have more time, I've got a travel trailer all set up with kennels for the dogs, portable fencing, spare feed bowls, lots of bedding and a couple of changes of clothes for me.

Discuss it with your family. Think about the various scenarios and what to do in each. Have a plan. Have a designated place for the family to meet. Teach the kids how to get out of a burning house and practice it.

If you live someplace really cold then have a change of warm clothing in an outbuilding. You don't want to be standing in the snow in your jammies and bathrobe, watching the house burn down.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

For heavy snow, ridge vents are worthless. One needs gable vents and windows.

 

[mamaKate]

Quote:
Awesome! These are the sort of things I think about but rarely do. We actually had a fire 15 years ago and all managed to get out safely by the grace of God. When my oldest two boys were pre-teens I had them do fire drills. That backfired as they used the exit strategy to escape grounding. lol I want to put together a specialized trailer for the birds that would safely house them outside if the humans and mammals have to seek shelter with family members.

 

[the-bird-man]

i would keep crates close to the coop and put things like a small feeder and waterer, a bottle of water, a small bag of shavings and some food that will store for a long time such as wheat or something that will keep them full and happy and keep all this in the crates so all you have to do is put the chickens in and go. by keeping it near the coop you will not have to spend time looking for it all. you could also got one of those pop up child play pen things and a little plastic netting so you could give them a place to stretch their legs a little and the plastic netting would keep them in it. if you heat your coop make sure you have something to use to keep the chickens warm if in winter and remember the power may be out.