Hurricane Bug Out: What do do with chickens?

[theoldchick]

Take all the meds you can just like you would in a first aid kit for people. Have all the basics stored in Tupperware containers-well any will do but, Tupperware seems to fare better in tough conditions. Place your name and phone number on all your containers including animal crates. Horses need to have id of some sort-halter with name tag or information printed on their necks(higher the better for visibility in high water) in permanent marker. Dogs should have microchips or at the very least a collar with tag. Using a permanent marker, you can also put your name and number on your dog's collar. I'm not sure how to otherwise id your chickens except for the use of leg tags or wing bands. I urge anybody in the path of Irma to get your ass in gear. Be mentally prepared to evacuate and when the times comes GO! No ifs ands or butts. The highway system can't handle a mass evacuation and those who wait until the last minute will be stuck on the highway. Not a pretty sight when the wind is 150 mph.

 

[PureBigBird]

As far as I know, we don't have any fairgrounds or local farmers providing safe housing for livestock. Our plan is to come back 2 or 3 days after evacuating, because at this point where we live there will be little rain/water, mostly just wind. We're now talking about reinforcing the coop to keep it from blowing away. But I'm more worried about their food and water. They have a place inside the coop where they can keep dry and out of the elements, where their nesting boxes are, up off the ground. I've put their food there before when we had a lot of rain (I live in Louisiana, so swampy climates are not uncommon) and the only real problem with that was that they pooped in the feeder a little bit. I have a waterer that holds 5 gallons of water, but obviously won't fit in the same place. I have a smaller 1 gallon waterer that I can put in the same place. I would definitely keep the 5 gallon waterer in the coop, but my concern is that they will run out of food and water in the "safe place" before we come back.

We're bugging out to a church, and as of right now, the only way we would be able to bring them to said church is if we put my hens in a closed trailer (which is currently full of supplies for Harvey victims). I'm sure we could make it into a coop for them easily, but that also means they would be in total darkness because the trailer has no windows. If we decide to go that route, I'd also need a lot of advice. Would I need to keep a light in the trailer? What about bedding? Do I need to put something down on the bottom, or can I leave them to walk/poop on the trailer floor? Does anyone have experience moving chickens in a trailer???

What are commercial keepers doing in FL? Why not call the USDA and see if they know of anyone that has a plan for farmers? Could you rent a trailer and take it with you? A trailer with ventilation does sound good-fan units? How to keep them cool or warm would seem to be the only problem with a trailer. Put sand in the trailer floor and then in one section only put bedding or put their dog kennels for nesting etc? A trailer is like a building. You could purchase camping lanterns for light? Are trailers with internal lighting available for renting? Unlike dog or cats, do birds get out of the way of rising water? And you could put a storage unit in the trailer for all the supplies. The stress is going to be hard on birds, and they might become ill, but having the right antibiotics, vitamins, electrolytes might help. They need something to lesson the stress of change. They do not accept change in habitat very well, but would do well all together or near each other.