possible hurricane (or any severe weather)

[carlye2001]

My chickens don't have a salable coop. They have a wooden fenced-in and covered area. Weather is predicting our first storm of the season and the first since I got chickens. Ideas on how to keep them safe?

 

[Teila]

Hey carlye2001

We get Hurricanes in Aus [Cyclones] and if/when one is predicted my gals will be sleeping in my bathroom. Granted, I only have 6

I guess it would depend on the number of chickens you have and the availability of somewhere strong and safe to put them.

Do you have a shed, barn, garage or something dry and away from the wind and rain?

If not, any chance you can reinforce their wooden fenced in area and stake down a tarp or something to stop the whole lot blowing away?

If their current accommodation is not storm proof and cannot be made storm proof, probably the only guarantee of their safety is to move them somewhere storm proof.

If you have some pictures of their current accommodation this may help others come up with suggestions on how to reinforce it.

 

[centrarchid]

I would confine them to a smaller boxed in area that does not catch as much wind. Take them off feed a good 12 hours before real weather hits to reduce stress while so confined. Keep them in water. Be prepared to partially dismantle components of coop / fenced in area and make so wind does not pack them off. Also take care to protect feed storage area from winds coming in horizontally. Placement in a lidded barrel tied to shut and to a post or very sturdy wall is ideal. Biggest problems occur in the days following a storm.

 

[carlye2001]

It is a fenced area off the side of a storage barn. It will eventually be closed in but my building skills aren't much and I have to do it. I have some ideas but nothing I can afford right now, and I have no idea how to build it.

 

[centrarchid]

If the birds will fit comfortably, then place them in what appears against the back wall to be a rabbit hutch or brooder and place it in a location protected from wind yet well ventilated. Such confinement will not be fun for birds but will keep them from being blown off property.

Your roof does not look good for with standing hurricane / cyclone force winds if coming from any direction except the right (not left).


I assume storm surge is not an issue.

 

[Teila]

Hey carlye2001

Looking at your image [and thank you, that helped] I will go with some thoughts if that were me and we had an impending cyclone or tropical storm [of which we have many during the wet season].

I can’t actually see very well in the photos where they sleep but I am guessing the coop/hutch against the far pickets.

During a storm the structure roof and roof on the coop should keep then dry; my only concern would be if the rain is not vertical and enters horizontally through the gap between the pickets and the roof.

If the pickets are secured well and not at risk of being torn off in the storm, there should be ample protection from the wind, my concern would still be rain though.

However, in a cyclone, I would be moving them out of there and into somewhere more secure. If that hutch is easily moved and as centrarchid has suggested everyone fits into it, I would move it and them to somewhere safer.

You have a good starting area there and as you have suggested, with a bit of building and enclosing, that will be an excellent area for your chickens.