how wet can a chicken get...serious question

My concern as a new chicken owner is...is it okay for them to constantly be walking in water? The coop is covered however it gets really soggy. So they walk in their crap and peck the ground for food. It seems unsanitary for me but just wondering if normal and ok?

jc2chicks said:

My concern as a new chicken owner is...is it okay for them to constantly be walking in water? The coop is covered however it gets really soggy. So they walk in their crap and peck the ground for food. It seems unsanitary for me but just wondering if normal and ok?

Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat! Usually, my
girls free range, but I'm out of town now and know that it's probably a little flooded in their run with all the rain. Wondering if I need to bother the babysitter to put more shavings down or if they're okay for another couple days?

SilverPhoenix said:

As long as they have some shelter, like a henhouse for instance, they'll be perfectly fine! Chickens can get sopping wet and still be just fine unless it's really really cold (we're talking in the single digits or negatives.) If they choose to get wet and look pathetic and silly, all the more power to them.

It won't hurt them at all. I would always have some shelter available for them if they want to get out of the rain, but other than that, don't worry about it.

Click to expand...

I have 3 pekin bantams,only just got them, they didnt want to go in their fully covered run but huddled together under a currant bush( not fully sheltered) their run is full of bone dry easichick woodchips and they will go in at bedtime, im thinking they will dry their feet off in run? im new to this so need reassurance!

EastTexasChick said:

We had a huge down pour last week where I live.. This is my first flock so I thought the rain would hurt them (get them sick etc.) so I tried to get them back in the coop for over 30 minutes, then finally gave up.. They did look like drowned rats (and so did I lol) but after my panic left of trying to save my babies I noticed they seemed to be loving the cool rain (has been upper 90's and 100s).. And after they dried off, there feathers looked so much fluffer and cleaner... They spent the rest of the day hunting for worms the rain brought up...

Click to expand...

Im same! Got my first 3 pekin bantams and felt so useless when i couldnt get them in their run in the rain, think theyll probably be ok.They do have featheted legs and top of their feet but pretty sure these will just dry.x

Mine go under the shelter when we are having a really bad downfall but when it's just a light rain or sprinkle they hang out. We built the shelter section mainly for protection from heat (we're in west texas and get 120+) and from snow in our winters. The only time unlocked them up in our coop was when we had our snowmageddon this past year and they wouldnt stay out of the snow. I didnt want to chance any losing their feet. I blocked them up in the bad day and they did just fine but we have a huge coop for them. I'm actually.glad I did because many people here lost their entire flock due to the weather. We didnt lose 1 thankfully.

This thread is 11 years old.

This is my wet hen thread from this winter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/wet-hens.1442537/

TLDR -- Chickens know how to be chickens better than we know how to be chickens. If they have the option to choose wet or dry the fully-feathered adults will be fine getting as wet as they want to be.