‘Shower chickens’: Unusual ways Qlders are prepping for TC Alfred

Chicken coops in the bathrooms, gardens in the living rooms, and furniture stacked to the ceiling – this is the reality for Queenslanders waiting for Tropical Cyclone Alfred to hit.

Chicken coops in the bathrooms, gardens in the living rooms, and furniture stacked to the ceiling – this is the reality for Queenslanders waiting for Tropical Cyclone Alfred to hit.

South East Queensland is bracing itself for Tropical Cyclone Alfred to make landfall on Saturday morning as possibly a category 2 system – packing gale-force winds and up to 600mm of rain.

A temporary chook coop in a bathroom. Pic: Jennifer Irvine

A cyclone in the southeast is an experience that not many people have been through with Queenslanders going to extreme lengths to prepare their properties for Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

While many people have prepared their homes in more traditional manners such as sandbagging and taping up windows – there are some that have used more unusual methods.

D’Aguilar resident Ally Karin has transformed her shower into a makeshift cyclone-proof coop for her two chickens Barb and Joscelyn.

A resident covered their roof in sandbags.

A resident covered their roof in sandbags.

“I was cyclone prepping and essentially just trying to work out the best place for them,” she said.

“They weren’t going to do well outside, they were going to end up pretty wet in their little chicken coop.

“The smallest room in the house is the bathroom and it has a shower.

One impacted Queenslander made a makeshift chicken coop in a shower.

“It just made sense because they’re contained, they’re safe, dogs and cats can’t get to them.

“So now I have a couple shower chickens.

“When you face cyclones it gets a bit unconventional and you just have to get creative.”

Ms Karin said she moved the pair into the bathroom on Wednesday, anticipating the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Alfred on Thursday.

SEQ living rooms have become gardens.

But the delay of Tropical Cyclone Alfred means that her resident chooks will be sleeping in the bathroom for an extra day.

“They actually went in yesterday, so that was a bit premature, but they’ll be back in there this evening,” Ms Karin said.

Everton Park resident Jennifer Irvine also moved her seven chickens into the bathroom of her property.

People secured their homes in Biggera Waters ahead of Tropical Cyclone Alfred. Picture: Nigel Hallett

“We rounded them up on Wednesday night because it was all supposed to happen on Thursday, so they have been in there longer than I would have liked,” Ms Irvine said.

“They certainly weren’t going to fare too well outside.

“They seem confused, but happy enough in there, at the moment it’s getting a bit stinky.”

A man has told a backyard chicken Facebook group that he has moved his chickens into an indoor tent for safety.

Steve Gill's chickens in a tent inside. Pic: Supplied

“My pooch looking out for my girls while we ride the cyclone out. Cut some extra breather holes in the top of the tent with a fan running,” Gold Coast resident Steve Gill wrote.

Caboolture-based wildlife carer Anne Noonan of Reptile Amphibian and Wildlife Rescue will have snakes, lizards, and possums under her roof as Tropical Cyclone Alfred strikes.

“We look after reptiles and possums and have 10 in my care at the moment,” she said.

“We have two possums, two lizards, and six snakes.

SEQ prepares for Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

SEQ prepares for Tropical Cyclone Alfred, with a variety of drinks.

“We’ve gone and bought extra enclosures, extra heat mats, we’ve stocked up on food for them.”

Ms Noonan said many animals will be trying to seek shelter during Tropical Cyclone Alfred and encouraged Queenslanders to allow them to stay.

“We’ve got roofs over our heads, these poor animals have nothing,” she said.

“They are completely and utterly in the midst of the elements of this storm, birds and snakes will get blown out of trees, they will hit the ground, they will be washed away and drowned.

“Pre-cyclone, there will be animals dragging themselves into people’s garages, car ports, yards, patios, back decks, desperately trying to survive and we’re begging people to please let them do that.”

Police in Surfers Paradise. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Living rooms across the state have also been turned into makeshift gardens, with residents moving pot plants inside to prevent them from becoming projectiles.

People have also resorted to extreme measures to strap their trampolines into the ground.

While stocking up on essential non-perishable foods, some Queenslanders have also bought snacks, with some parents having to fend off hungry teenagers from depleting their supply prior to the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

Many people have also stocked up on alcohol and while it is a very Queensland experience to sit outside and take in a severe thunderstorm with a drink in hand – it is not recommended to do that during a category two cyclone which can bring destructive winds between 126-164km/h.

Residents at a Cleveland Point property have also taken the extraordinary step of placing more than 50 sandbags on top of their roof.

In a video uploaded on Wednesday by TikTok user SupaTony, the sandbags appear to be spaced out evenly and tied down to the roof.