# Storm Protection



## Wigwam7 (Mar 29, 2017)

Hello all!
Quick update from last thread: Wigwam and Petal healed right up.

Anyways, we live in the Clemson area in South Carolina. Hurricane Irma is going to be very weak, but we will still feel effects from it tomorrow and Tuesday- winds up to 50 mph and lots of rain and lightning. The chickens have only had a little bit of storm experience - one day it rained and thundered a little with no wind and they just hung out in the run as usual.
It may get nasty tomorrow, and we may lose power. I hope not.
I think I am going to close them in the coop for tomorrow.
What do you think?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Do you have enough open floor space in the coop. Remember 4 square feet of open floor space per bird.

You can do like many of us do, install tarps that can be raised or lowered according to the weather needs.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Out of 3 tarps only one of mine got detached. Pretty good!


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Next storm I need to plan out the coop better. I spent 5 hours back there yesterday, and most of that was staring and thinking. It should have been simple but you know how that goes.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Fine tuning never stops when they're in open coops, just ask dawg.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

I don't have that problem of open pens.I did,however,have my coop blow away during 75-80 mph straight line winds that lasted for hours one Sunday afternoon.Thankfully it was torn off the floor so the chickens didn't blow away with it but they had to find other shelters from the wind until we could put it back.Now I have it anchored to the foundation.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

These ones are anchored sortof. When I build stuff here it's 2-3 feet posts in the ground.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

It's almost mandatory that we wait for a storm to actually find the deficiencies in our setups. For me it's where is the water going? A few months ago I was surprised to find my pen wet after a hard rain, turns out it was ground water leaching up. I dug a trench to divert the water away and solved the problem. Of course with this sandy soil I have to clean it up on a regular basis to keep it working.


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## Wigwam7 (Mar 29, 2017)

All right everyone, our coop stayed strong during the 40 mph winds. It didn't move at all. Its tin roof let the rain run off. The sand on the inside of the run was barely damp.
The chickens stayed locked in the coop where they usually sleep that whole day and night. They didn't mind a bit. They had food, water, space, and nice pine shavings for bedding. Between winds, I would check on them. They were fine, just milling about.
Then, a wind gust came and I was standing there watching them. They all perked up as the coop creaked and groaned, but it didn't move. Atari, Petal, and Raisin all kept going on with their lives, where my "brave" boy Wigwam anxiously paced about, screeching. The wind passed and Wigs was back to normal. So much for being a courageous rooster.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

You'll find that since roosters are the designated protectors that they will freak at any little thing.


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## Wilbur's Mom (Aug 10, 2017)

We fared well here. Pens were tied down mounted together and they stayed put. Folks are in East FL and they just got power back Wednesday. Glad everyone stayed safe!


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## Wigwam7 (Mar 29, 2017)

robin416 said:


> You'll find that since roosters are the designated protectors that they will freak at any little thing.


Yes, that's about right. Same with butterflies, leaves, and birds.


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