Are they smart enough to come in out of the rain?

[catsew]

Do chickens come in out of the rain? I know that sounds like a dumb question, but yesterday they were hiding under the coop, but they had just recently been let out so I thought maybe they didn't want to go back in yet. We were gone most of the day, so not sure what they did the next time it rained, but it did clear up and they were outside.
So this morning its been thunderstorming and I wasn't sure if I should let them out or just keep them locked up for awhile longer.
Thanks.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Ours go in when it rains, but younger birds newly put in a coop may not get going back inside just yet. Just like they don't get going in for the night right away.

 

[carolinagirl58]

I don't know about yours, but mine are too dumb to get out of the rain. I have built them several places to roost at night, but they insist on sleeping on the top rail of the fence. I don't know what will happen to them in the winter. I have my laying hens and one roo locked up in a dog kennel but all of my extra roos free range in the pasture with the sheep. I guess I'll have to put the freezer before winter comes.

 

[itom37]

They probably aren't... yet. As long as they have some cover from heavy rain, no worries, let em figure it out. They'll learn where to go for dryness soon enough.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Our girls love a soft rain. They find shelter if a hard rain but do frolic in short drizzles.

 

[catsew]

Thanks. Maybe they're just not quite old enough yet. Or just haven't figured it out. They also haven't quite made it to bed on their own yet either. They have been sleeping in their pop door entrance. So they're close, but not quite. I just pick them up from there and kind of shove them in (not as barbaric as it sounds, but they flap like its torture).
We haven't quite finished the siding yet, so the one side where the most rain comes from actually has house wrap all the way to the ground, so its sheltered on 3 sides from rain completely right now underneath it.

 

[teach1rusl]

My girls are like Egghead's birds - they'll walk around in the light stuff, but take shelter from hard rain. If yours were hiding under the coop during a rain, then it sounds like they know to take shelter... For my birds, shelter from the rain might mean my front porch

- just because yours didn't go INSIDE the coop doesn't mean they don't know to take shelter

 

[bobbieschicks]

My White Leghorns were 4 weeks old on Saturday and that was their 1st time in the coop - of course it rained! They stayed under the coop until I scooped them up and put them inside at night fall. Yesterday I noticed during the rainy part of the day that 3 were inside and 2 were foraging under the coop. At least they weren't out running around in the downpour.

 

[catsew]

Up until yesterday it had only rained at night, so they were already locked up for the night.
And thats true, they did know how to find shelter out of the rain. But eventually the wrap will be gone and if its windy the rain will blow underneath.

Which leads to my next question, should I have water available inside?

 

[teach1rusl]

Other than winter time, I keep my waterers outside, but my runs are covered, so they have access whether it's raining or not. You'll get a lot of different opinions on this. I don't mind keeping a waterer indoors (like I said - I do it all winter to keep water from freezing). So if I was having a rainy spell (several days of storms) I'd put a small one inside. But if it's just a day of rain...usually there's a break here and there...so they could come out to drink if they really wanted to. Same with food - you don't want food getting soaked, so where do you keep it when it rains??