summer storms and city chickens

[paklucas]

Hi;
I live in MN in the Twin Cities with two chickens in my backyard. This is my first year with chickens.
I have an A-frame coop with a run built on but I also let my chickens out for variety and exercise. The coop is made to move around the yard but it is not a one person job.

We just had some severe wind, hail and down pouring rain storms . The coop kept them dry and protected from the hail but I worried about wind damage. Not only could branches fall on the coops but in a tornado or high wind, the coop could lift off the ground. Luckily that did not happen this time.

My question is, should I leave the pen open and let them find their own safest place or do I keep them contained? My chickens do like to go under my deck when they are out which might be more stable. I do know nothing is guaranteed in a tornado. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Patti and the City Chicks.

 

[jeb251]

my tractor is very light it can be moved with ease, but it is also very stable, it has been through some storms that had 70 mile an hour winds with no problem, it was blowing so hard, I saw a hen lay the same egg three times, it didn't move a bit and if a tornado hits your back yard, you deck will be gone as well, my suggestion is put them in the coop so they don't go out into the wind and possibly get blown to the next county.

 

[paklucas]

Thanks.
It's good to know that yours didn't move in the wind. My instinct was to leave them there. They seemed to survive without any signs of trauma.

I just had this picture in my head of the house in Wizard of Oz flying away and thought about their coop not being tied to the ground.

P.

 

[cposz]

Nice to see another twin cities chicken keeper here - that was a good storm the other night!
Can you stake it down if they predict violent weather?

 

[7cutechix]

I have a chicken tractor that can be moved by one person, I worry every time the wind really rips! If I know a storms coming I stake it down with plastic stakes and cords. We had it last year for 6 chicks all summer who have moved to the big coop. It didn't blow away yet! I did have my hens out last week when a storm came up unexpected.... I felt like Dorothy holding thecoop door for them to go in! Really thought they'd blow away! Good luck!

 

[paklucas]

Good idea. Even just some tent stakes through the chicken wire on the bottom would be better than nothing and easy to move. Hopefully we are done with the monsoons for a while!

Funny though--my chickens are Belina and Cleo. Belina was the talking chicken from the Return to Oz movie of the '80's, a sequel to the Wizard of Oz. When my chickens start talking to me in English, I'll let you know.