"Terrified?" No. Stressed? Yes. I have taken care of many animals through dozens of storms (none quite this intense, I grant), and they have all been like, "Oh, good, you're here. Where's my food!??!" That's not terror. They don't understand enough to be terrified. They know it's windy, they know they are getting wet, but they do not understand the concept of a major hurricane, nor the scale of the danger they are in. Some may die of hypothermia or exhaustion, and never experience fear, because there is nothing specific for them to be afraid of.
Does that include things like rats, cockroaches, fire ants? Or just the charismatic animals?
The older I get, the less romantic I am. People are capable of understanding the concept of morality, and therefore should be governed by it. It isn't right for someone to assume responsibility for a life, and then abdicate it when it simply becomes inconvenient. I salute people who will step in and assume responsibility where others have abandoned it, but there must be some limits.
Nature doesn't care; it is governed by a different set of rules. Those that make good choices will survive long enough to pass their genes on, those that don't, won't. A free-ranging chicken will kill countless insects, reptiles, amphibians, maybe even rodents and birds in its lifetime, has anyone been praying for them?
I would hope that anyone who has taken responsibility for chickens in the Keys has done what they can to keep the birds safe (and themselves, too, of course!). The rest? Well, there will be good places to shelter somewhere, and the smart ones will find them. If someone winds up posting a picture of a dead bird, a pathetic pile of soggy feathers lying in the mud, I will feel a moment's sadness for that particular bird, but is it really any different than the same bird getting run over on the road or killed by fowl pox?
