Chicken shower?

[leight54]

In the summer, when I run the sprinkler on my lawn and garden, the wild birds (cardinals, robins) are attracted to it. They love to take a shower! Do chickens do this? Should I let the sprinkler hit a section of the run for them? (I mean once they are full grown, of course)

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Mine hate being sprinkled with water from the hose. In hot weather some of them like to walk or stand in shallow water, though. I don't know about other people's chickens. I think some people in areas that have less humid hot weather sometimes use misters to cool their chickens. Wild birds like to bath in water and it's a good way for them to combat external parasites. Chickens use dust bathing to do that. I guess they're the chinchillas of the bird world!

 

[dewey]

It's odd...there's that old saying "madder than a wet hen"

, which is true a lot of times, yet they'll often stand in the rain without being bothered by it, even if they know to come in out of it, lol, or they'll walk in and out of mist. Today was hot here and they're in a warm area so I wet down their shelter and part of the run so there was about an inch of water so they'd have water to stand in if they wanted to, and they did, and they liked playing with the little drizzles that dripped from overhead but wanted no part of being sprinkled directly.

It's very dry & hot here...water on the ground soaks in and/or dries in minutes...not sure where you are, but maybe yours would like a moist area to cool off in the summer, too.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I notice mine never want to be out in the rain when they're young, until the first time they figure out that it brings worms to the surface. Then they'll stand out there in the rain trying to go after worms. When they look up, they have mud all over their beaks.

 

[leight54]

Well, I'll experiment this summer. Offer them some mist when its hot, let it puddle up if they want to wade or dig around in the mud. I haven't even gotten my first chicks yet, and I'm already planning their recreational activities. Chicken camp!