Chickens out during thunderstorm

[21hens-incharge]

We are all just glad you are ok.

 

[rockymountain]

We also had a thunderstorm the other night. I had a chicken that was in broody jail in the run., I too worried as there was such a load thunder boom right over the property. I thought she could have a heart attack from this. As I knew I had to wait until the next morning to check on her. She was fine, but let her out since I felt so bad. As she only spent one day and night there. This diffidently stopped her being broody. Anyway I was talking to the guy who built our house and was the first owner. He told me about a lightening bolt that went up a tree in front of our house went into the formal living room and damaged rocks on our fireplace. He stated he was told if he was in that room he would of been killed.

 

[kurka0]

I have the same situation at least, three times a year. Where I live the rain usually try to drown us!

My chickens are also the same. They could be safe in their coop but no! They prefer to stand still in the flooded floor...

So I'm always alert when there are predictions of heavy rain. If it's too hard I open the door of the run so I they can go wherever they want which is usually inside my house.

 

[want2know]

We have many severe thunderstorms here in the Hill country of Texas, and where we are at on the side of a hill we have lightning here on top of us, as was the case last night. You probably did the right thing by rescuing your little flock, not so much because of lightning but because of flooding. If the area where your coop is floods, I would prepare for the next big storm. Not knowing the size or situation of your chickens run and coop, I cannot be specific, but adding some large heavy rocks and large secured perches above ground for them to get up out of the water is one, and the other would be to provide some cover. We currently have a run surrounding the coop, that is entirely enclosed with chicken wire. We have used tarps, corrugated metal and plastic sheets, etc. to try to keep them and their food somewhat dry. Chickens are birds and therefore do not mind the rain or the noise from the storm, they seem oblivious to it. Some breeds however, do not do well to get saturated and can catch cold if they stay wet for an extended time and it is windy. Because we live on the side of a hill and the area where the coop and run is, is not level we built up the area under their coop by first placing hardware cloth on the ground, then poured a base of construction sand over it, leveled it and surrounded it with large bricks and rocks to prevent erosion. This provides them an island above the water flow, and it does flow through their area at times like a river, and when it is hot and dry, the sand dries out the poo, so it does not smell and they do not get it all over their feet. I have two standard Cochins, a Roo and a hen, so I don't want them getting wet poo all over their feet in the coop. Boy, what we do for our little feathered friends.