August 15, 2012

Wind, Rain, Hail And Sleeping Chicks

The chicks have been living full time in their coop for about five days. Last night we had our first severe-weather event. In the middle of the night we woke up to the sound of hail slamming against the windows. Our summer has been long, hot, and dry and we needed the rain so I'm not complaining. It was the middle of the night and we had know idea how the chickens would react to a storm like this one - not to mention how the coop would hold up. Normally the coop can be seen easily from our upstairs bedroom window but since the rain was being blown horizontal we couldn't see anything.  We weren't worried, exactly, we just wanted to be able to confirm the coop and its residents were okay. When the storm let up enough Harry went out and checked the chicks and coop. It seems the chickens were asleep - not ruffled at all by the storm - and the coop was dry, no leaks anywhere. I guess no one told the chicks they were supposed to freak out and run in circles squawking.

We don't live in coastal area with hurricanes to worry about but we do live in an area that is very susceptible to tornadoes. We get fast moving thunder storms and sudden straight-line winds called derecho (they're referred to locally as Hurricane Elvis)! So weather disaster preparedness for us includes a lot of different issues...power outages, flooding, flying debris and trees and limbs coming down anywhere. We already have a safety plan for our family -and we are lucky enough to have a basement to go down into (as we have many times). We have a small generator to keep fridge running, flashlights and batteries, first aid kit, etc. Some of the items in the first aid kit can be used, if necessary for our dogs and cat. I need to add to the kit some items that will help if there are injuries to the chickens. Sometimes what is okay for a dog is not okay for a chicken. Better Safe Than Sorry is a great post on Fresh Eggs Daily.  There's lot of safety and first aid info that you can tweak to fit your needs depending on where you keep your chicks and the type of adverse weather you experience.

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