Chickens in the rain

[boggerman]

Do chickens know they're not waterproof???
The weather's been pretty horrendous here in Ireland over the past couple of days.Our 3 RIRs have a coop and a run to move around in. I just checked them (9:30 at night), and a couple of them are out there in the run, scratching around in the driving rain. I read that chickens' feathers are not waterproof, and so they shouldn't get wet. My question is, do THEY know this??? Do they mind being in the rain, or will they get wet and sick? Or should I move them into their coop and close off the run to keep them dry?

 

[Pele]

Most chickens actually LOVE being in the rain They arn't waterproof, but their feathers do trap air against their skin, which keeps them warm even when they're wet.

I'd keep them in if you're getting days and days of constant rain, but as a general rule chickens are much hardier than we give them credit for.

Here's my Darla, drenched from a recent rainy day:

 

[chickenbythesea]

our hens love being out in the rain.... I always leave the coop open so that they can get away from it if they want to... but they never do. I come out there and they're drenched to the bone and happy so I leave them. They've never had any adverse effects

 

[jondee]

Mine don't mind the rain, either. They have a couple of places where they can find shelter if it's really pouring (under a clump of thick trees, under the kids' slide, under the coops), but unless it's torrential, they'll be out all day just doing their chicken thing. I worried about them the first few times it rained, but they seem to know how to take care of themselves.

They do love it when the sun comes back out after a good rain; I'll go outside and find them lined up in a sheltered spot on the wood chips, laying on one side with their top wing all stretched out, sunbathing

.

Joni