Alot of rain

[wvchics]

If you take a fallen feather and dip it in water it actually takes a good bit to get it to soak clear through. Even though they look wet clear through they probably aren't. The only time I did anything was when it got to 67 then dropped below freezing I turned their light on just for a couple hours to help them dry before their outter feathers froze but we've had a really weird winter here going from 67 to single digits in 24 hours. I've watched my chickens in the temperature changes and it seems like mine don't care too much about weather until it gets below 20 then they don't spend as much time out of the coop. They will actually shiver when they get cold. I just watch them and adjust my strategy according to their behavior.

 

[farm_girl726]

I live on the coast in the Pacific Northwest... where it rains non stop for half the year sometimes. Silkies and all others range as they desire. When it's coming down hard they stay under cover. But when it's drizzling they are out enjoying the glut of worms and other bugs that the rain draws out of the ground. Even my broody hens and chicks. Which of course I have a little more concern for... but there moms seem to do good keeping them warm. It's a great question though that I think a lot of people will have.

Your red girl looks like she might be getting a bit much attention from your boy, per her saddle feathers. And your boy... his tail, the very tip looks a bit ratty. I know if they are about a year and haven't molted all my birds start looking a bit rough. And I also know the rain makes everything feathers look much worse. So I can't tell if that's it or not... but might suggest a check for mites or lice. Noting that our winter season is when the vet says lice is worst for us.

It's funny to see them all out foraging in the drizzle and then a sudden down pour comes and they book it to cover. My salmon Faverolle boys looked like some greasy rockers when the neck feathers were all slicked down and hanging kinda long!

My reds looked like that yesteday too because my roos don't care if it's raining or not they mount the ladies. My one Aus roo nearly drowned my Aus hen trying to mount her ... I watched to make sure he didn't in fact hurt her but I didn't want to interfere with nature... my one Aus male and one silkie their tales always look pathetic. Always have.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

but I didn't want to interfere with nature...

When we have birds under our care... penned in OUR back yards... that is no longer nature. It is our responsibility to protect our hens from over amorous boys. That's like saying I saw a fox attacking my flock but didn't wanna interfere with nature because everything need to eat. Or mites and lice can proliferate because it's natural...

I will say... not a single one of my hens really likes to be mated. They will run when they see my boy (an actual SINGLE mature roo, not competitively mating cockerels) coming towards them. When he mounts they close their eyes and endure it. They let out a whimper if he is holding on to tight or being too clumsy.. even though my ratio is currently only 6-1, I don't have any balding going on. But there is SOME feather damage still just from the wear and tear. Ya, they like hanging around with him. But they would be content to keep it platonic.

Truly don't mean to sound harsh or ugly though! And I'm sure you would have interrupted if you saw true cause for alarm, since you said you making sure he didn't hurt her.

And yes, the rain does make all things feather wise look much more pathetic and pronounced even. I suspect pathetic looking tails to be partly do to flock pecking order dynamics. But just like to mention the possibility of parasites in case they weren't on the owners radar yet. Nutrition is sometimes a factor. Knowledge is power.

Thanks for sharing your rain story!

 

[farm_girl726]

When we have birds under our care... penned in OUR back yards... that is no longer nature. It is our responsibility to protect our hens from over amorous boys. That's like saying I saw a fox attacking my flock but didn't wanna interfere with nature because everything need to eat. Or mites and lice can proliferate because it's natural...

I will say... not a single one of my hens really likes to be mated. They will run when they see my boy (an actual SINGLE mature roo, not competitively mating cockerels) coming towards them. When he mounts they close their eyes and endure it. They let out a whimper if he is holding on to tight or being too clumsy.. even though my ratio is currently only 6-1, I don't have any balding going on. But there is SOME feather damage still just from the wear and tear. Ya, they like hanging around with him. But they would be content to keep it platonic.

Truly don't mean to sound harsh or ugly though! And I'm sure you would have interrupted if you saw true cause for alarm, since you said you making sure he didn't hurt her.

And yes, the rain does make all things feather wise look much more pathetic and pronounced even. I suspect pathetic looking tails to be partly do to flock pecking order dynamics. But just like to mention the possibility of parasites in case they weren't on the owners radar yet. Nutrition is sometimes a factor. Knowledge is power.

Thanks for sharing your rain story!

-off topic. Sorry...

My girls and boys aren't penned in, they're literally free range, if they want to "run away" nothing is stopping them but they apparently like it here I don't watch them 24/7 so when I do see something I just monitor it and I have kicked a roo for being nasty. He is about to be a dead roo soon if he doesn't shape up, he is nasty to my ducks and my other roos. I have 22 hens, 6 roos and 4 ducks. I'm currently in the market for more female ducks because my mallard has tore up my one Pekins neck, he doesn't have enough ladies to keep him occupied. (2/2 ratio at the moment - Pekin male wants nothing to do with either female!)

And heck no if a fox was in my yard attacking one of my girls I would do what I could to scare him off but I'm not going anywhere near him. I'm not looking to throw down with a potentially rabid animal... no way, no thank you. If anything I'd run away like a lunatic screaming for my husband to do something

I believe my one silkie lost his tail to the other roo silkie. We rescued the pair with one hen. They weren't being properly cared for (obviously, two roos and 1 hen) these people didn't know the first thing about male to female ratios or nesting boxes/ roosting ledges. We've had these 3 for quite a while now and they refuse to sleep anywhere other than the floor of the coop because that's all they knew.

 

[Stayc]

I live on the coast in the Pacific Northwest... where it rains non stop for half the year sometimes. Silkies and all others range as they desire. When it's coming down hard they stay under cover. But when it's drizzling they are out enjoying the glut of worms and other bugs that the rain draws out of the ground. Even my broody hens and chicks. Which of course I have a little more concern for... but there moms seem to do good keeping them warm. It's a great question though that I think a lot of people will have.

Your red girl looks like she might be getting a bit much attention from your boy, per her saddle feathers. And your boy... his tail, the very tip looks a bit ratty. I know if they are about a year and haven't molted all my birds start looking a bit rough. And I also know the rain makes everything feathers look much worse. So I can't tell if that's it or not... but might suggest a check for mites or lice. Noting that our winter season is when the vet says lice is worst for us.

It's funny to see them all out foraging in the drizzle and then a sudden down pour comes and they book it to cover. My salmon Faverolle boys looked like some greasy rockers when the neck feathers were all slicked down and hanging kinda long!

The girl with the missing feathers has been that way for 3 months. We did have too many cockrels at one point. The other cockrels also pulled out all of that roosters tail feathers. That is all that has grown back so far. He used to look like a girl from the back. I will check them today for lice and mites. Thanks for your help