Do you do any special pre-storm preparations for your flock and coop?

[tweetysvoice]

We are expecting to have some very severe thunderstorms with tornadoes here tonight and being a new chicken and duck mama, I started to worry about my girls. Got me wondering if anyone else does any special preparations to a coop if you know a huge storm is coming? We decided to add a big tarp to the outside of the run on the south west side to block the rain in case it starts blowing sideways. I know there isn't much we can do if a tornado comes through, but hopefully that will save some of the straw and shavings on the floor from getting soaked and/or blown away. The birds are comfy inside their coop, so I'm sure they will be fine. The ducks however just sleep where ever they way. I'm hoping they will run into their duck house if it gets bad enough.

 

[BuffOrpington88]

I know this will not be practical for most people, but if it is going to be a very bad storm, I have a portable pen that I put inside the garage. It is a hassle to clean up, but I only have 4 chickens and they are pets.
The tarp over the coop is a good idea, it is very important to keep them dry.
Good Luck!

 

[ButchGood]

I just lock the coops windows and door tight. When I do that it has zero ventilation, but it is weather proof. For large storms I have locking latches on the windows. Otherwise they close with magnets.

 

[Coop de Grille]

The tarp is a really good idea. My storm preps are making sure I have enough feed, water, shavings etc stocked. We are pretty rural, we lose power often and have had our street blocked before by downed trees making it impossible to get out to buy anything. I also lock my chickens up in the coop and don't give them access to the outside until after the storm has passed.

 

[karlamaria]

Around here we get lots of snow, and it's still snowing. My chickens have a pen completely enclosed by tarps, whit on top for light and sides. The pen door is covered each time it snows or rains by a board held by a bungee cord. My pen is super dry all winter. In the summer we make sure the top of the pen is on tight to keep out the rain, and drop down tarps if the storm is bad.
We make sure we have 4 giant bags of shavings on hand and 100 pounds of feed. Grit, boss and so fourth. There important to us. Family you might say, family with egg benefits
lol

 

[tweetysvoice]

That's really smart staying stocked up! The tarp worked like a miracle! The outside of the run was wet and muddy, but the inside that was covered by the tarp was as if the storm never happened! The girls acted like nothing happened at all, so I must have done something right. I hadn't been thinking about winter, but that might be a good idea to use to keep snow out of the inner run this winter as well!

 

[larsalan]

My flock all stays in an old out house that's presumably been standing there for over 75 yrs. I had thought to move it but, it looks like steal straps have it bolted to the slab/pit it stands on. They always seem pleased with their accommodations, rain or shine.

 

[Panth]

I use the rain water that drips off my barn roof as extra water for my chickens. I leave 3 five-gallon buckets under the eaves, and the chickens can drink right from the tops of the barrels. This worked out very luckily for me last year when we lost power for about 5 days after a bad storm (we have a well, so electricity = water). Plus, my chickens free-range, so if anything every happened where I couldn't get home and feed or water them for several days, they have access to plenty of wild food and water.

 

[centrarchid]

Wind, hail and pooling water are greatest concerns. Make certain wind does not damage structure or make it move. Large hail can cause severe damage but I have only lost eggs to hail so far. Surface runoff sometimes pools where I place chicken tractors and despite such not cause birds to drown can cause hypothermia and ruin feed.

Tarps and wind so not always agree with respect to well being of chickens. They can catch wind like a sail or collect enough water collapse structure. Make sure it bleeds air when wind is really strong and does not hold too much water.