The Chickens and Hurricane Frances

[Grandmotherbear]

Went to Henscratch Farms this weekend to pick grapes and assure ourselves they had survivrd the hurricane- Loads of LUSCIOUS scuppernongs and muscadines all you South central Floridians- amazingly most of the grapes stayed on the vine and they had only lost one shed roof- anyway we asked if the hurricane had thrown the chickens laying off and Joanne told us this story.

They let the chickens out to freerange in the morning as always, and as Frances came in the day got gray and dark and the winds picked up. They tried to get the chickens back in the coop but they refused to be gathered up. Finally the proprietors had to retreat to the farmhouse and looked out the window - expecting to see chickens sailing away on the winds. What they saw instead was every chicken scratched a hole in the sand and got down in it. "Hunkered down" as the newscasters kept saying. You could barely see their backs projecting. Well, they went out the next morning expecting to find smashed dead chickens- and not a one was lost. They all survived. Pretty neat story, huh?

[Cyngbaeld]

What kind of chickens were these?

[Tango]

I've seen it myself. All of my adults were out for Frances and they instinctively sought shelter. We got the eye through here so the winds came from the northeast to northwest first and then from the southwest and south and I could see them at various time behind shelter and low to the ground. That's a long tme to battle winds but they're resilient

[countrygrrrl]

:haha: What a great story!

And who says chickens aren't smart!

[Grandmotherbear]

I think they're Barred Rocks and Araucanas- and at least 1 silkie.

[Jan Doling]

Our bantam hen survived both Charley & Frances (I think she hid in the palmetto bushes). The geese & roosters (Barred Rock & bantam) survived Frances doing the same. No poultry losses at our place and now tha we know how savvy they are we are not so nervous about letting them free range.

[BamaSuzy]

That is great to know since it appears Alabama may get hit hard from Hurricane Ivan! One of my chickens spent the day in the goat shed yesterday sitting between my two goats, in a little hollow in the ground, enjoying the coolness there because it was so hot and humid!