Chicken tractors and hurricanes

[Mule & Flash]

We live in Florida, so hurricanes are a real threat. But we want our birds to free range within the goat pen and we're using a chicken tractor. How do you secure a tractor when a hurricane comes? We want it to be light enough that we can move it at least ever couple weeks, but sturdy enough it won't blow away in high winds.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Can you move it inside an outbuilding?

What does it look like, how is it built? That is a dilemma, you want it light so you can move it but that tends to not make them sturdy. The taller and more solid the walls, the more wind load it will pick up. The wider the base the better it resists the wind.

When a hurricane threatens, use stakes and rope to tie it down. You’ll have rain along with the wind so you may need some good stakes, the ground could get soft if it is clay. If it is sand you can make sand anchors that work really well. The flatter the rope angle to the ground the more holding power you have. A 45 degree angle is Ok but a little flatter would be better. Can you attach it to something solid, like maybe a fence?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

"Ridge" evidently you don't get many hurricanes in North West Arkansas.

Where are you going to shelter the outbuilding during said hurricane.

This goes without the flooding that accompanies a hurricane.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I spent over 3 decades in south Louisiana, mostly outside of New Orleans. Have you heard of Katrina? I got to shake her hand. I can’t count all of the hurricanes I went through down there. Most buildings, outbuildings as well as houses, can take the wind pretty well. If there is damage it’s usually to the roof. The chickens and the tractor can probably survive that quite well inside most outbuildings.

In case you haven’t spent a major portion of your life in hurricane country, most if the damage comes from water, not wind. Rainfall can be heavy and cause flooding, but the storm surge, the water blown in for offshore, is what normally causes the majority of deaths and massive property damage. The OP is in north central Florida and should be safe from storm surge. Most hurricanes lose a lot of strength as they hit land, that’s just the way they work. Katrina was a category 5 out over open water but was down to a category 3 when she hit land. So by the time the winds get to north central Florida, they should have weakened. The really strong hurricanes can still cause severe wind damage but those are fairly rare. A lot of roofs were damaged in Katrina, she was still that strong. But the biggest problem with wind in a majority of hurricanes is that they blow trees down and cause power outages. Flying debris can cause damage too.

It’s not that wind doesn’t cause damage, it can and does, but most outbuildings are going to survive. The chickens and the tractor are going to be a lot safer in an outbuilding than outside. Mule & Flash would have to determine how safe they think their buildings are if they decide to try that. The only advantage with hurricanes is that you can see them coming and prepare.

George, as shocking as it may be to you, I had two outbuildings that went through many hurricanes, including Katrina. Neither were ever damaged.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

As an enlisted man I helped cleanup after Camille,

As well as being a veteran of Audrey, Freddy, and Andrew. .

 

[Ridgerunner]

Then you should know that many and probably most outbuildings stand up to wind pretty well. Water no, but wind. But since you seem to not agree that putting the tractor in an outbuilding is a viable option, assuming a suitable one is available, do you have any suggestions.

 

[Mule & Flash]

Ridge runner, it's about 7'x10'. Two thirds of it is covered in 1/2" x 1" welded wire, the remaining third is T1-11. The nest boxes are in the enclosed space. It has a metal roof and has 4x4s along the base of the structure. The roof starts 4' off the ground. Mule could tell you the pitch but I have no clue. I guess if worse comes to worse we could tie off to the goat barn, which has the 4x6 support beams deep in concrete. That outbuilding isn't going anywhere!
Believe it or not, we have been in Florida for 12 years and have only had one hurricane and a couple tropical storms so far. And we were out playing soccer with our kids during part of that hurricane! Guess I should actually be more concerned about the tornado warnings! You're right, at least with a hurricane you have the benefit of time to prepare.

 

[Dmontgomery]

Drive 4 mobile home anchors in the ground. One at each corner of the coop. Get some heavy duty ratchet straps to throw over the top of the coop. You can park the tractor back in that area whenever a storm comes and strap it down real good. Or wait until the storm comes to drive the anchors down, then strap it.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Those ratchet straps are a good idea. There are several different ways to do this, the main thing is to have a plan and materials ready. The lines can get awfully long and they sell out of stuff when one is predicted.

It’s not unusual to go several years without any problems, but it’s also not unusual to have a few pretty much back to back. We’d go years in a row without evacuating, but then we might have to evacuate twice in a season. Katrina was out second evacuation that year, but the first one swerved and missed us. You’ll get a lot of warnings that one is headed your way and they’ll swerve as they hit land and the worst will miss you, especially the smaller ones. Don’t overreact but don’t get complacent either. That’s when you get in trouble.

 

[Mule & Flash]

Oo. That's a great idea, dmontgomery. Thanks!