Lightning?

[MiniDriver]

Ok, you experienced folk: My babies are staying out for the night for the first time this week, and we're expecting thunderstorms tomorrow!

Is it at all likely that the hardware cloth lining the bottom of the run will electrocute my chickens by conducting electricity from grounded lightning?

I know my girls will likely go inside the coop once it starts raining, but somehow I'm obsessing about them getting fried!

This doesn't really happen, does it?

 

[morelcabin]

Likely? No...that is one of those freak things that would be a very rare occurance. But possible? Yes...there is a possibility. I would just make sure they are in the coop before it starts.

 

[MiniDriver]

Quote:
Thanks! I figure it's just as likely as me getting struck by lightening each time I obsessively check on the chickens.

 

[blue fire]

Thanks! I figure it's just as likely as me getting struck by lightening each time I obsessively check on the chickens.

I know how you feel

 

[patandchickens]

Uh, I pretty much suspect that if lightning is striking *that* close, your chickens are in serious trouble whether theyre standing on wire lying on the ground, or on the (probably wet by then) ground itself.

The usual problem with wire farm fences and lightning strikes is that they can conduct lethal charge to a place far away from the actual strike, e.g. lightning goes 'bang' in the back pasture and your cow standing against the pagewire fencing half a mile away drops over dead. This is not really an issue with chicken runs.

Personally it is not something I would worry about; you can't very well rush around locking the chickens indoors everytime a storm blows up nearby. The chances of anything bad happening are incredibly remote, and the chances of anything bad and AVOIDABLE happening are even remoter.

JMHO,

Pat