On January 19 and 20 we experienced one of the strongest geomagnetic storms in many years:
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/g4-severe-geomagnetic-storm-levels-reached-19-jan-2026
At that time our chickens were behaving strangely but I did not attribute it to the Geo storm. I was becoming concerned that a virus had hit the animals; the chickens and the dog. Behavior was just not quite right, punky, if you will. The chickens looked ok on examination, they were eating and drinking, elimination all looked normal and they were still laying at their normal pace. For yard range time they sort of sauntered here and there, nibbling and pecking a bit but certainly NOT anywhere close to their normal antics of frantically scratching the ground, chasing each other to steal the rarely acquired bug, running from under this shrub to that one over there, now let's run to the opposite side, etc. I watched them for a long while but could not figure out what was wrong. They seemed disinterested and spent a lot of time just standing around looking wary and afraid, finding comfort in the run. This went on for two days. By January 21, everyone had snapped out of the funkiness and life was back to normal. That's when it dawned on me they could have been affected by the storm. Dog was looking and acting normal again also.
Here we go again. Today the chickens are not acting right but nothing specific is wrong. I'm assuming it is related to the impending change of weather which will be severe by our standards. Today it is pleasant, 70 degrees, sunny, mild breeze; a lovely day to be outside. So what is up with the birds? They are just standing around. They did not want to come out of the run even though the gate is wide open. Sky is devoid of any large predators, any birds at all for that matter. I don't even see or hear any crows! I suspect it is once again related to the change in weather. Tomorrow we will be experiencing dropping temperatures throughout the day with winds sustained at 20-30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph and a high temperature of 54 with a low of 20. Sunday morning there is a possibility of seeing snow flurries in central and south FLorida!! as the temperature over the water will be extremely cold due to the wind velocity and sub freezing temps. Our girls are used to windy days and sub freezing temps from time to time, but never the two together to this extreme. I'm assuming that is what is impacting their behavior today??? They show no interest in being out and about and prefer the comfort of the run. Egg laying continues as normal.
I was wondering if anyone else noticed a change in your chickens' behavior during the Geo storm or the recent ice/snow storm many of you experienced? Can anyone offer insight or advice on if I should be doing anything differently during this time of "stress"? I don't know how else to term it.
For more reading: Courtesy of RRP - Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org
Can birds detect severe weather? Storms, cold, and Bald Eagles in winter!
Birds can sense impending storm, skip town: https://www.science.org/content/article/birds-can-sense-impending-storm-skip-town and
https://georgiawildlife.com/out-my-backdoor-can-birds-predict-severe-weather.
Infrasound: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrasound.
Tim Storms: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Storms
Infrasonic math. https://psl.noaa.gov/programs/infrasound/infrasonic.html.
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/g4-severe-geomagnetic-storm-levels-reached-19-jan-2026
At that time our chickens were behaving strangely but I did not attribute it to the Geo storm. I was becoming concerned that a virus had hit the animals; the chickens and the dog. Behavior was just not quite right, punky, if you will. The chickens looked ok on examination, they were eating and drinking, elimination all looked normal and they were still laying at their normal pace. For yard range time they sort of sauntered here and there, nibbling and pecking a bit but certainly NOT anywhere close to their normal antics of frantically scratching the ground, chasing each other to steal the rarely acquired bug, running from under this shrub to that one over there, now let's run to the opposite side, etc. I watched them for a long while but could not figure out what was wrong. They seemed disinterested and spent a lot of time just standing around looking wary and afraid, finding comfort in the run. This went on for two days. By January 21, everyone had snapped out of the funkiness and life was back to normal. That's when it dawned on me they could have been affected by the storm. Dog was looking and acting normal again also.
Here we go again. Today the chickens are not acting right but nothing specific is wrong. I'm assuming it is related to the impending change of weather which will be severe by our standards. Today it is pleasant, 70 degrees, sunny, mild breeze; a lovely day to be outside. So what is up with the birds? They are just standing around. They did not want to come out of the run even though the gate is wide open. Sky is devoid of any large predators, any birds at all for that matter. I don't even see or hear any crows! I suspect it is once again related to the change in weather. Tomorrow we will be experiencing dropping temperatures throughout the day with winds sustained at 20-30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph and a high temperature of 54 with a low of 20. Sunday morning there is a possibility of seeing snow flurries in central and south FLorida!! as the temperature over the water will be extremely cold due to the wind velocity and sub freezing temps. Our girls are used to windy days and sub freezing temps from time to time, but never the two together to this extreme. I'm assuming that is what is impacting their behavior today??? They show no interest in being out and about and prefer the comfort of the run. Egg laying continues as normal.
I was wondering if anyone else noticed a change in your chickens' behavior during the Geo storm or the recent ice/snow storm many of you experienced? Can anyone offer insight or advice on if I should be doing anything differently during this time of "stress"? I don't know how else to term it.
For more reading: Courtesy of RRP - Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org
Can birds detect severe weather? Storms, cold, and Bald Eagles in winter!
Birds can sense impending storm, skip town: https://www.science.org/content/article/birds-can-sense-impending-storm-skip-town and
https://georgiawildlife.com/out-my-backdoor-can-birds-predict-severe-weather.
Infrasound: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrasound.
Tim Storms: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Storms
Infrasonic math. https://psl.noaa.gov/programs/infrasound/infrasonic.html.
