3rd Night in the Coop and Rain!?!

[rosieabby]

Hi there,
Our 2 month-old, fully feathered chicks (barred rocks) are spending their 3rd night in their coop. The temp is only supposed to drop to 77 degrees and rain is in the forecast. They have one big window that's propped open (hinged at the top) and they like to roost in front of it. ( They also have vents in the eves to help with ventilation.)
1) Do I leave the window open to keep the coop as cool as possible?
2) Do I worry that the rain will come in so I should close it?
3) Are they hardy animals like my husband argues and I shouldn't worry?

Ack! I feel like I have 3 newborns that I'm leaving at home for the first time.
Any advice?
Thanks!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Before you put the chicks in the coop, did you ever test that window during a rainstorm to see if water dripping in was an issue? Or do you know at least if the prevailing direction of wind/rainstorms blows towards the side the window is facing? If you're uncertain about the answers to the questions above, maybe partially close it so there's still a gap for air, but it's mostly closed?

Having the window open from the bottom like that should provide some protection from rain that's coming straight down, but without pretesting or knowing the direction of your wind I don't know if it will stay completely dry in there or not. That said, don't panic, your chickens are old enough to deal with some rain. As long as they don't get soaked and stay soaked overnight, they should be fine.

 

[Feathers Brady]

Hi there!
I'd take your husband's advice and not worry, leaving the window open is what I would do. My six hens are as high as the windows in their coop and when it rains a bit may blow in but nothing too awful. If I thought it was going to storm with high winds, of course close the window.
Staying cool with good ventilation is a must. Hang In there! It'll be fine

 

[Farmgirl1878]

I felt the exact same way when my babies spent their first rainy night in the coop! My concern was that they’d be afraid because of all the noise of the rain on the metal roof... No problems, they slept right through it!

Regarding the rain coming in, I think they’ll be ok. It looks like you have some tree cover, so unless it gets really windy tonight, they probably won’t get wet. Nice coop btw!

 

[rosieabby]

Before you put the chicks in the coop, did you ever test that window during a rainstorm to see if water dripping in was an issue? Or do you know at least if the prevailing direction of wind/rainstorms blows towards the side the window is facing? If you're uncertain about the answers to the questions above, maybe partially close it so there's still a gap for air, but it's mostly closed?

Having the window open from the bottom like that should provide some protection from rain that's coming straight down, but without pretesting or knowing the direction of your wind I don't know if it will stay completely dry in there or not. That said, don't panic, your chickens are old enough to deal with some rain. As long as they don't get soaked and stay soaked overnight, they should be fine.

Unfortunately it hasn't rained here in a while and those chicks were ready to get out of the house....and I was ready to get them out! Those little buggers can get pretty messy and stinky I did keep a thermometer in the coop to figure out the average temps which seems doable. The weather seems like it usually would come from right side of the coop. I guess we'll find out tonight how it does in the rain. Fingers crossed and thanks for the reply!

 

[rosieabby]

I felt the exact same way when my babies spent their first rainy night in the coop! My concern was that they’d be afraid because of all the noise of the rain on the metal roof... No problems, they slept right through it!

Regarding the rain coming in, I think they’ll be ok. It looks like you have some tree cover, so unless it gets really windy tonight, they probably won’t get wet. Nice coop btw!

Thanks! Glad I'm not the only one who worries about their chicks out there. They spent many weeks inside right down the short hall from our bedroom so I always knew what was going on. It feels funny to have them outside!
Thanks for your coop compliment! It took way longer than we expected and the run still isn't finished, but it's on it's way.

 

[rosieabby]

Hi there!
I'd take your husband's advice and not worry, leaving the window open is what I would do. My six hens are as high as the windows in their coop and when it rains a bit may blow in but nothing too awful. If I thought it was going to storm with high winds, of course close the window.
Staying cool with good ventilation is a must. Hang In there! It'll be fine

Thank you, thank you! I'll send my husband out to close the window if it gets too windy

 

[Farmgirl1878]

Thanks! Glad I'm not the only one who worries about their chicks out there. They spent many weeks inside right down the short hall from our bedroom so I always knew what was going on. It feels funny to have them outside!
Thanks for your coop compliment! It took way longer than we expected and the run still isn't finished, but it's on it's way.

Ours took longer than expected too. I think all “first coops” do! My “practice chickens” are almost four months old now and I’ve got eight more chicks in the basement. I got them on 16 July. They’ll go out to the brooder in the coop in a couple more weeks and I’m sure I’ll be fretting those first few nights when they’re out with the big birds!

 

[rosieabby]

Thanks to everyone for their replies!
Although we didn't have any rain the night I posted, we've had 2 big storms since. The coops stayed dry and the chicks faired very well!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Thanks to everyone for their replies!
Although we didn't have any rain the night I posted, we've had 2 big storms since. The coops stayed dry and the chicks faired very well!

Excellent - now you don't have to worry about how they're doing in the coop, and also that the coop ventilation is well oriented to deal with most rainfall in your area.