Chickens in the rain!

[Dom'sHEns]

Hi all, My chickens are about 10 weeks old and insist on staying out in the rain! This morning it was just drizzling and there coop is located uderneath several trees. The trees were doing a good job of keeping the ground dry. However it started raining buckets a few minutes ago so i ran out there to see what was going on and they were still out in the rain! My run isn't quite finished yet to include the space under there coop where its dry. I figured they would know to go back into the coop if they go too wet. I figured wrong. So i ran out there and picked them up one by one and put them inside. They stayed inside a little but i just went out ther again and there back in the run. THEY look like a bunch of wet floppy feather dusters. Especially my little cockerl!

Will they be ok!? Should i put them back inside and lock them up?

Will they get sick? Its about 75degrees out.

What should i do!?
-Dom

 

[silkiechicken]

They should be fine. My birds play in the rain too... even if it's in the 40's out. It's normal.

 

[schmoo]

Mine did that a couple of times at that age.......now they usually go in when it starts raining really hard. Now if they stay out I figure they must want to be out there.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Yesterday it rained most of the day here. My pullets hid inside all day.

 

[sunnychooks]

Hi Dom!
I'm in NJ too, so we must be getting the same rain! My chickens have NO problem scratching around in the rain (mud). I also have some 8 week old chicks that don't seem to notice it's raining. I never understood the expression "madder than a wet hen" because when it rains, mine seem perfectly happy!!!

 

[jab91864]

Mine don't seem bothered by the rain either...drives me nuts !!!

I continually worry they will catch a chill from being wet and sicken and die.... you can tell I'm somebody's mother can't you...lol

Julie

 

[Southern28Chick]

It's ok if they want to play in the rain. My only concern would be that rain brings the snakes out. I don't know why but any time I see a snake is in the rain. My baby roo was killed by a snake in the rain. If you have young ones just keep an eye on them. The snake that killed my roo was only 4'.

 

[Davaroo]

Ya'll need to switch to decaf. If I didn't know better, I'd say you all gave birth to your birds yourselves!

Keep in mind that a chicken burns at 106* F, a very high metabolic rate. Those suckers are warm. They also have oils in their feathers that repel water, and have been domestically bred in this country for ages now under the very weather conditions that you experience. A spot of cool and wet weather has little effect on them.

What you need to ensure is not whether they have enough sense to come in OUT of the rain (they don't), but rather that their housing is warm and dry for when they do.

I wonder if they might not get along better if you left them alone more often. Just a thought...

 

[Standard Hen]

Pouring like mad here after a month with no rain which means the ground is like cement and everything is getting flooded. The chickens are out free ranging and having the time of their lives. I think they forgot how nice the rain was. They look very happy and loving every minute of it.

 

[chickengirlnm]

Well I live in New mexico so it does not rain often but when it does it comes down in buckets - yesterday the sky looked angry but my chickens and ducks wanted out of thier little pen to play in the big yard so I let them out came back inside to do housework and heard the thunder than it started to hail ( not very big about dime sized) I feared my chickens getting hit in the head since 16 are young birds so like a fool I go running outside and trying to chase 16 chicks and one adult to put them in their pen I finally got them all, but those crazy ducks would not go inside so after chasing them I gave up went in i was totally wet dripping on the carpet, changed clothes looked out the ducks were chasing the hail eating it and my male Frodo thought a hail/thunder storm was the perfect time to do the " dirty duck deed " with his girl, so now if it rains I WILL NOT chase them crazy birds let them take a shower but I will watch from the window where I will stay dry LOL

Julie