chickens in the rain

[ChickInDelight]

Mine go in and out of the rain. I was really amazed that they first shunned their first snow, then went on out picking with the ducks.

 

[dallandrafae]

My girls love to stand in the rain, i put a cover over the pen to protect them from the really heavy rain but they have a bench that is in the rain if they fancy a shower

 

[psnider1968]

My chickens are in a driving rain as I write this. They seem to be finding worms and having fun while their at it. They are soaked.

 

[maggiec1951]

My girls don't seem to mind the rain at all, either. There is plenty of shelter in their run - the coop, under the coop and 3 trees very close together but if they are free ranging in the yard they will continue to do whatever they are doing. When it thunders and lightens they take cover though, so maybe they aren't so terribly ditzy after all. Their little minds just don't work like ours do. They are my girls and I love them no matter what!!

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
With light rain, only response is holding feathers tighter keeping water from getting in. With heavy rain events they often temporarily quit foraging and stand with head elevated and tail down, again to keep water from getting into feathers. With extreme or prolonged rain events they will often seek cover and will even reduce feed intake for a couple days.


It does not take a lot of rain to reduce their abilty to fly and if they are wet enough it makes it more difficult to stay warm. Rain is particularly a problem during moult.

 

[Fierlin1182]

Oh yeah, it's very normal.

Rain in Australia is quite sparse, so I think they enjoy it, silly things.

When it rains here, it usually pours, but they don't mind. We go to feed them and there they are, waiting at the gate, feathers matted and soaked to the bone.

 

[LeonaGD]

I have three 7 month old Australorps who are thoroughly enjoying the rain here in Northern California. They have a protected coop/run, with an addtional outdoor run (I call it a play yard) that has a partial overhang - but they spend the whole day just beyond the overhang getting drenched. They are a joy!

 

[TEXASSCENT]

WE HAD A LOT OF RAIN YESTERDAY. MY CHICKENS WERE RAISED DURING OUR DROUGHT MONTHS. I THINK THEY DONT KNOW WHAT RAIN IS. ANYWAY THEY WERE SOAKED AND DIDNT SEEM TO SEEK SHELTER AT ALL. I PENNED THEM IN THE COOP WITH A HEAT LIGHT HOPING IT WOULD HELP THEM DRY OVERNIGHT AND NOT CATCH A CHICKEN COLD. ARE THEY ACTING NORMAL?

 

[StarLover21]

Hi,

I live in texas too (I assume you do), so I think we got hit by the same rain. My girls did the same things. It's normal, don't worry. Chickens are pretty hardy.

 

[Dutch552]

Mine were out in the 40 degree rain all day yesterday. I found them warm and dry on their roost when I checked on them shortly after dark. Crazy chickens...