Free Range and heavy wind -have you experienced this?

[lcwmt]

On 1/30/18 our weather was iffy. Snow, low double digit temps, wind in the forecast. Nothing out of the ordinary for our area but a winter storm warning was in effect<G>.

The chickens don't mind snow whether it is accumulated or falling. They don't like wind much but are out in it even when the gusts are in the 20-30mph range.

They are very reliable about going to roost as the light falls.

As luck would have it Monday evening, just at dusk, the snow came in heavy and the wind picked up. I went out to close the coop at 4:30 p.m. Counted beaks and butts, only 10 out of 11 chickens. One Barred Rock pullet missing.
Looked about, nothing.... The temperature was dropping fast, the snow was thick and the wind was ferocious. Light was dim even with a flashlight. and it was coooold.

I assumed/hoped the missing pullet was tucked in under the deck or a similar sheltered place and went back into the house. There was no way to stay out and look for her although it would have felt like the right thing to do.

The peak wind gust that night was 50+mph. It continued into the morning.

We alternated turns going out to check alongside the run in case she had made her way back. no luck.
Next day, no sign of the missing pullet. Coop was opened for the others, by noon only 4 of the residents were accounted for. The others were off doing their chicken thing (we hoped).
At 10 a.m., a brown egg in a regular laying spot told me that at least one of the Barred Rock Pullets was just fine.

4:30 p.m. NY Eve all the chickens were at roost in the coop. Every single one. major sigh of relief.

Along the way, during that pullet's absence, my mind was occupied with thoughts of folks dealing with hurricanes and wild fire and all the heavy intense situations out of our control. Their concern for the welfare of their critters is justified and heartbreaking.
We had decided that, if confronted with such an event, dogs and cats would be rounded up and loaded up with us, but chickens would be released.

Now we have had 14 hours of gale force+++ winds, combined with single digit temps and snow, a missing bird, and we KNOW the birds are resilient.

The downside here is that free ranging can leave the birds at a distance from their coop when weather extremes hit. That was NOT one of the risks I knew I was taking with free ranging.

There are a few upsides:
We do not offer supplemental heat. This means the birds are accustomed to temperature swings. (it also greatly reduces other risks)
Our breeds are selected for not only their adaptability to this climate but also their "foraging". This means, I think, that in addition to scrounging for seeds and bugs etc., they are well suited to finding their safe spots, hunkering down and getting through when they need to.

All the birds are comfortable and active today; the weather is back to a calmer mood. We'll be in double digits above 0 in a day or two<Hooray!>The chickens are in the yard, near the deck, in the Juniper trees and doing just fine...


I did wonder: Can that sort of extreme wind literally blow a chicken away? Your thoughts?
The small birds were latched on to their perches on feeders and trees, however????

 

[azygous]

@centrarchid keeps a vast flock with many of them residing outdoors to cope with the elements. He may stop by to compare notes with you.

As you've discovered, chickens seem to be able to fend for themselves pretty well as long as they have adequate calories to help keep their metabolisms functioning at top speed.

Most of them have the sense to seek shelter when the wind chill becomes life threatening. Their feathers and ability to fluff them to trap body heat against their skin serves them well in all sorts of awful weather.

About the only problem with leaving chickens to free range for extended periods is the danger they will be targeted by predators that also need extra calories to survive bad weather conditions.

 

[centrarchid]

it can obstruct their ability to get back to roost. I used to have groups of chickens centered on fence rows that roosted in trees. When weather got very windy and cold the birds would either shift to roosting in dense conifers or even hunker down on ground in bramble patches. Under those conditions, they could not get enough to eat by foraging to sustain their weight. Even when I put grain piles out they likely could not eat enough to keep weight on. Temperatures then where about -10 F with strong wind over nearly 2 feet of snow.

A few years back I was trying replicate that to a limited degree under similar weather conditions. Some birds trying to get to roost late would then try to rooster under things.

I also have had roosters move to sleep on dogs in dog houses.

 

[lcwmt]

@centrarchid keeps a vast flock with many of them residing outdoors to cope with the elements. He may stop by to compare notes with you.

As you've discovered, chickens seem to be able to fend for themselves pretty well as long as they have adequate calories to help keep their metabolisms functioning at top speed.

Most of them have the sense to seek shelter when the wind chill becomes life threatening. Their feathers and ability to fluff them to trap body heat against their skin serves them well in all sorts of awful weather.

About the only problem with leaving chickens to free range for extended periods is the danger they will be targeted by predators that also need extra calories to survive bad weather conditions.

agreed on the calories.
One thing we did was lay out a combination of mixed grains and BOSS in the area where they typically access the deck. It is gone now.

as for the predators, well, yes. they get hungry too.We are pretty well tuned into the predator situation here.

 

[lcwmt]

it can obstruct their ability to get back to roost. I used to have groups of chickens centered on fence rows that roosted in trees. When weather got very windy and cold the birds would either shift to roosting in dense conifers or even hunker down on ground in bramble patches. Under those conditions, they could not get enough to eat by foraging to sustain their weight. Even when I put grain piles out they likely could not eat enough to keep weight on. Temperatures then where about -10 F with strong wind over nearly 2 feet of snow.

A few years back I was trying replicate that to a limited degree under similar weather conditions. Some birds trying to get to roost late would then try to rooster under things.

I also have had roosters move to sleep on dogs in dog houses.

thanks for chiming in! Was this in MO???

 

[lcwmt]

@centrarchid keeps a vast flock with many of them residing outdoors to cope with the elements. He may stop by to compare notes with you.

As you've discovered, chickens seem to be able to fend for themselves pretty well as long as they have adequate calories to help keep their metabolisms functioning at top speed.

Most of them have the sense to seek shelter when the wind chill becomes life threatening. Their feathers and ability to fluff them to trap body heat against their skin serves them well in all sorts of awful weather.

About the only problem with leaving chickens to free range for extended periods is the danger they will be targeted by predators that also need extra calories to survive bad weather conditions.

These birds free range during the day, are cooped at night (so long as they come in!)
Today, half of them have not left the coop. They are being rather sedentary. The others are out and about... silly birds but it is 10 above, only lightly snowing and minimal breeze.

 

[centrarchid]

The fence row stuff was in southern Indiana during the winters of 1976/1977 and 1977/1978 which had blizzards that kept me out of school about 2 weeks each time. I went out to check birds on walks to see how they managed. Dog part there as well.

The simulations where in central Missouri a few years ago. I constructed a couple elevated roosts using pallets and bales of straw. The elevated roosts when a field in front of house. It predated the construction of a barn now used to house all my female American Dominiques.

 

[lcwmt]

The fence row stuff was in southern Indiana during the winters of 1976/1977 and 1977/1978 which had blizzards that kept me out of school about 2 weeks each time. I went out to check birds on walks to see how they managed. Dog part there as well.

The simulations where in central Missouri a few years ago. I constructed a couple elevated roosts using pallets and bales of straw. The elevated roosts when a field in front of house. It predated the construction of a barn now used to house all my female American Dominiques.

77/78 were brutal here as well. Snow above the fence line from October through May.
Interesting that you would try to simulate but productive I imagine.
A barn would be wonderful. color me green.

 

[centrarchid]

These birds free range during the day, are cooped at night (so long as they come in!)
Today, half of them have not left the coop. They are being rather sedentary. The others are out and about... silly birds but it is 10 above, only lightly snowing and minimal breeze.

When conditions get really harsh, my birds will abstain from feed for a couple days. Then they will greatly increase investment in feeding. The behavior is particularly evident in the game chickens that will even take to flying considerable distances over snow. What I do in response if place straw bales out and put piles of grain and pellets on top. A second bale and / or a wooden pallet is used to provide a wind block. The birds are quick to move between those feeding stations. With American Dominique the bales are about 20 feet apart. The game are good if bales are 100 feet apart.

 

[Shadrach]

We get very strong winds here. There is a picture in my coop page showing what the wind does to a badly placed and thought out coop, not to mention the trees that get uprooted and thrown around. The chickens hate it. Some do get blown off their feet but so far none have been injured. They seek cover, under cars in the car port, deep into shrubs and bushes, in my house.
I've come to believe that what they find most disturbing is they can't hear. Given how vital hearing is for them this probably makes them feel extremely vulnerable.