Around the Delmarva Peninsula, there have been reports of about 50 chicken-house roof collapses under the weight of snow, said Delaware Secretary of Agriculture, Ed Kee.

Delaware Online reports that the authorities had been worried that flat-roofed structures such as poultry houses would be at substantial risk for collapse as snow from the second blizzard in a week piled up. Several commercial buildings have collapsed over the last few days but Mr Kee said the damage has been less than expected.

He said: "We got lucky. Yesterday's snow was very light, and the wind blew it off in a lot of cases."

He added that about 20 per cent of the collapsed chicken houses were empty at the time.

There are about 4,900 chicken houses on the peninsula, according to Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc.

Farmers and poultry companies have taken steps to shelter their birds and also protect their buildings, Mr Kee added.