How to Keep Chickens During a Hurricane or Severe Weather

It’s that time of year when many of us are thinking about the high winds and heavy rain of hurricane season. With any extreme weather event, you may wonder what to do with your chickens during a hurricane. Depending on the severity of the storm, you may prepare in different ways.

How to Protect Chickens During a Hurricane

As a chicken keeper for the last 18 years, living just an hour from the coast of Florida, I have done my fair share of protecting chickens during a hurricane. No two hurricanes are alike though.

Having a solid plan in place for your chickens during a hurricane, and your other livestock will make riding out the storm a lot less stressful. In my honest opinion, not being prepared can be the biggest threat.

Potential Risks to Your Chickens During a Hurricane

High Winds
Heavy Rain
Flood Water from rain or storm surge
Tornadoes
Hazardous Driving Conditions- I like to have enough feed on hand for at least a week so I can avoid having to go to the feed store after a hurricane.
Lack of Fresh Water- Not only will you need a water supply for the house but your animals as well. You may want to consider a 250-gallon IBC tote for water storage if you have multiple kinds of livestock.

Don’t Wait for a Storm to Prepare

With visions of the opening scene of The Wizard of Oz, don’t get caught off guard during storm season. Preparing for hurricanes or any severe storm ahead of time is necessary. A lack of proper planning will make any severe storm emergency worse.

After all, we know hurricane season is upon us. At the beginning of the season get all your basic preps into place so you are ready to go for the remainder of the season.

Hurricane Preparedness List for Your Backyard Chickens During a Hurricane

Create a List of Emergency Contacts or Family Members that Can Help with Animals
Fresh Clean Water & Enough Feed
Chicken First Aid Kit: Blu-Kote to treat wounds and Recover 911 Supplement to alleviate stressed-out birds.
Portable Enclosures: Cardboard boxes, dog crates, or animal crates for larger animals, just in case you need to move your flock.
Plastic tarp for flooring in case they need to be brought in.
Cement blocks to hold tarps down.
Pine shavings for flooring to keep things a little cleaner.
Basic construction materials to make coop repairs immediately after the storm.

Make a Plan in Response to the Severity of the Storm Warnings

Like I said earlier, no two hurricanes are alike. Preparing for a tropical storm is going to be completely different than preparing for a Category 5 hurricane. Knowing ahead of time the basic plan will make hurricane season a lot less stressful on flock owners.

Prepping Backyard Chickens for a Tropical Storm and Minor Hurricanes

Often this means heavy rains with some minor wind gusts. I prefer to keep my chickens in their regular coop that they are familiar with.

I have found that leaving them in their own little place is less stressful than moving or confining chickens during a hurricane. After all, they are used to their coop and generally feel safe in there.

Protecting Your Flock Outside

The coop does need to protect from the main hazards like strong winds, rain, and loose objects. Plenty of roosting bars up high in case of flood waters is also necessary. I am a firm believer in leaving the coop door open during these storms. Yes, open.

If a tree were to fall on the coop or flood waters come in they would want to get out. You do not want to trap your chickens in their coop during a hurricane. In my experience, chickens are pretty hardy birds with a great sense of where they need to be during a hurricane.

Protecting Free-Range Chickens During A Hurricane

Free-range chickens tend to be smart, hardy birds. Truth be told, there have been many hurricanes that my free-range flock rode out with no extra provisions. They are excellent at finding a safe place in inclement weather.

They do have a coop they can come and go freely from so I usually just let them do their thing. Over the last 18 years of keeping chickens, we have only lost one younger chicken in a hurricane, due to a surge of high water from the creek.

Things to Consider About Your Chicken Coop

Is it a Sturdy Structure Able to Withstand High MPH Winds?
Will it Provide a Thorough Wind Break and Rain Protection?
Do You Have Plenty of Roosting Space for a Flood-Proof Area?

Prepping Your Backyard Flock for a Major Hurricane

Major Hurricanes are not your typical hurricane. Especially if you are in the hurricane eye or on what is known to be the dirty side of land-falling hurricanes.

This side is usually the most intense and dangerous part of the low-pressure system due to the stronger winds, heavier rain, and a significantly higher chance of tornadoes. This is where the counter-clockwise circulation of winds is the greatest threat.

Protecting Chickens During a Major Hurricane

Let’s face it, our chicken coops may not make it through this. Bringing chickens inside and putting them in the garage, the tack room of our barn, or worst case scenario, a spare bathroom or laundry room, might be the safest place.

This is where our mobile chicken coops have come in handy during a few storms. We are able to round up all the chickens in the tractor and put them into a secure location, closed up in the barn. It is much preferred to bringing them into the house.

You May Have No Choice. Preparing to Bring Them In

Time to break out the tarps and pine shavings! The tarps will protect your floors, while the pine shaving will absorb some moisture and keep things a little cleaner. Throwing some sunflower seeds on the ground will keep them entertained.

If you have several large animal crates you could also use those as opposed to them free-ranging the room. Multiple waterers and feed containers would be needed though. Keeping them in a crate for too long will cause stress so I would only do this if necessary.

What To Do With Chickens During A Hurricane & Evacuation Order

This is going to be a tough one for many backyard chicken keepers. If you are under an evacuation order you may not be able to take them with you, depending on where you are going.

Anytime you have livestock, it’s always smart to have a plan of where your animals could go in case of a flood or major hurricane. This is where preparing and thinking ahead can really pay off. Possibly you have a friend who lives further inland and is willing to help.

If it’s the worst-case scenario, you have to evacuate, and do not have a plan in place for your chickens you may have to leave them. Just be sure to leave the coop door open so they can instinctively go where they need to.

Stay Safe During the Storm and Hope for the Best

With all the preps in place, it’s time to just ride out the storm. While we have had instances where we needed to run out in between rain bands to tend to things, it’s best to stay inside.

You Never Know What May Happen During a Hurricane

We will never forget the first hurricane we rode out on our property. We had no idea our pig pen was going to flood but it sure did. Right in the middle of the storm.

I tell you what, we will never forget moving pigs during a hurricane. Having a couple of empty, secure pens is always a good idea if you keep livestock during hurricane season.

Incubators and Hurricanes

All those baby chicks in the incubator will need a steady power supply. Being prepared for a lack of electricity is a must to run incubators, freezers, and refrigerators.

Preparing For Power and Water for Hurricane Season

One of the best investments for our Florida farm was a solar generator and a free-flowing well. Sustainable power and free-flowing water for hurricane season is a large part of hurricane preparedness.

After the Weather Conditions Have Improved

After the heavy rain, high winds, and flood water have subsided, you can head outside to check on your feathered friends and assess the damages. Hopefully, your hurricane preparedness pays off. The first thing you’ll want to check for is injuries and coop damages.

Survey Your Chickens for Injuries

Doing a head count when you arrive at the coop will help you determine if anyone is missing, possibly hiding somewhere with an injury. Injured chickens will usually huddle up in a corner, puffing their feathers out in distress. Clean any wounds that you may find and give them a spray of Blu-Kote.

Access the Coop for Damages

Hopefully, you have a strong chicken coop that made it through the bad weather. Checking the roof, walls, and doors is a good idea to be sure that your chickens will be safe and secure in their coop after the hurricane.

Repairing Your Coop and Run

Having basic construction supplies on hand during a hurricane will help you make quick repairs after the storm. Being prepared is much better than going out on the roads right after a hurricane. It could be hazardous with power outages and flood water.

a truck driving through a flooded road during a hurricane

Refresh Food and Water

Once you know your chickens are safe and secure, now is a great time to give them some fresh water. Adding a supplement like Recover 911 to their water will help alleviate stressed-out chickens, while giving them some nutrients to support their immune system. I’m sure they will also appreciate some fresh, dry feed as well.

Dealing With Standing Water & Wet Chickens

Remember my story of moving my pigs out of standing water during a hurricane? Had I not had an empty pen to put them in we would have been in trouble.

Having an alternate plan on where your animals can go if their area is being taken over by flood water is always a good idea. A fresh bale of straw can also do wonders for a wet chicken coop.

a bunch of wet chickens after a hurricane

A Great Resource to Check Out

The Florida Department of Agriculture has a listing of Emergency Response Resources with general information, animal-friendly shelters, pet-friendly hotels, and disaster preparedness for animals. You can find all this at the link below.

https://www.fdacs.gov/Consumer-Resources/Animals/Animal-Related-Emergency-Response

Lessons Learned About Hurricane and Storm Preparedness

The number one takeaway is to plan ahead for these storms to protect your feathered friends. It’s not a matter of if, but when they will happen. Planning for different scenarios is important as no two storms are alike. You may find that you need to take different measures when protecting chickens during a hurricane, tornado, or other severe weather.

​How to Protect Chickens During a Hurricane