Hurricane preparations (just in case!)

[MomKat]

With (soon to be Hurricane) Tropical Storm Irene on the horizon and possibly getting into the Gulf of Mexico, I was wondering how chicken keepers along the coasts in hurricane country prepare for these storms? I have five RIR girls who currently free-range my yard during the day. Their coop is an old dog house, in a run that is a converted greenhouse. Both are extremely sturdy, built by my husband, the King of Overkill. Both structures have also survived Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina intact. Should I just close up the hens in their coop and hope for the best? I thought about splitting them up, putting some in their old brooder (a large Rubbermaid tub) and some into another large container and housing them in the garage until the storm is over, but I don't know if that would be too stressful for them? Our house is our extended families' hurricane central, as well, and most folks bring their animals with them. So what does everybody do? Leave them in their coop and hope for the best, or bring them into the garage, where I think they would be safer?

 

[EMaker]

Bring them into the garage or into the basement, definitely. Being in rubbermaid tubs temporarily will be far less stressful (and may not even be stressful at all) than being in a less safe place during a fierce storm.

 

[NonnasBabies]

I leave them in the coop and hope for the best! But with 50 theirs no way to bring that many inside!!

 

[ll]

I could easily bring mine in, but am leaving them and will batten down the hatches.

 

[galanie]

My coop also weathered a lot of hurricanes, starting before Beulah in the 70's. But I wouldn't trust it to weather a decent hurricane now! Mine will go in the garage if we get a storm.

 

[jdywntr]

Ugh! I hate this time of year though this is my first with poultry and waterfowl. Time to make some space in the garage to set up the girls and the ducklings. Already have a ton of 5 gallon water jugs thanks to a water main break late last year. GO AWAY IRENE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Straight north through the Atlantic would be lovely.

 

[welasharon]

Ugh! I can't decide. This is the only time I don't like that I have open air pens. The tolbunt will have to come inside. The shamo could be difficult to bring in but if it looks severe enough they will have to. The seramas can easily come in. That leaves nine others....maybe I can cover the spare room in tarps covered in canvas??? Course I will have to drug my husband throughout all this....
sharon

 

[Gerry2011]

Quote:

I can relate!

 

[kareninthesun]

Wow! When Katrina and Rita blew through my son's town/ranch area, he opened the barn door, opened the gates for the horses, hoping they knew what to do best. Between the two hurricanes, they blew down his just constructed big all wood playset, the kind with a fort attached to it, blew down all but two trees, everything that was within about a hundred feet ended up either in the pool or pond, including the metal swing and big bar b q, the kind that has wheels and yiou hook up to a big truck. A tornado came through and touched on the tack side of the barn, taking part of the roof and even floorboards, but didn't touch anything on the other side. Looked weird. All but two chickens were found, fine but upset. All the horses came back. a very big pecan tree was uprooted in their front yard, leaning towards their house and window, so they used a big truck to chain around the tree and it stayed there until they could slowly set it up. Many of the homes were flattened down, but oddly, the house next to their ranch was a double wide trailer, and not so much as the overhangs over the windows, or the lightweight folding chairs were disturbed. If this comes through, I think my main concern would be making sure they had access to food/water and protected from unexpected preditors, like dogs that may be running loose. May be a good idea to have extra meds ready for them. Don't know if you have problems with fresh water, but with my son, even though they had a well and generator, they were without power for an aweful long time, and the generator was needed for so many things. Access for fuel was a big challenge.

 

[CluckCluck18]

I know what you mean....it's such a worry! I'm on the west coast of Florida and the weather guy said she's an east coast storm, but it makes you think. I have a very sturdy coop, but I think I would worry if they were out there. Has anyone put them inside in the bathroom? I have 5 and they might do OK? Plus now I have to think about getting a generator.....day 10 on incubating chicks! Yikes.....I hate hurricane season.