Chicks drowning in rain?

[HappyPlace]

My mom has a coworker that owns chickens and he's been talking to her about mine since she sees them everyday as I currently live with her. He's been telling her all kinds of things as to what I should do for my chicks which is sometimes helpful, but not always...

One of the things he told my mom (and she's been on me about it ever since) is that chickens will drown in the rain. Not because of flooding, but because they will stare up at the sky with their mouths open and drown that way...

I'm not saying my chicks are genuises, but I've actually been surprised at how smart they really are. Some days, I think they have more sense than most people I know.

However, I took the information with a grain of salt and was a touch leary when I woke up and saw it was raining. I immediately got up and went to check on them, only to find out they were still sleeping.

When they did leave the coop, they sat in the rain for a few minutes and then headed under the coop for food and water. I've been watching them for a while and some are occasionally playing in the rain, but all keep heading back under the coop to play.

Where did this belief come from?? Has anyone ever had a chick/en drown this way??

 

[GoldDogsMom]

Somehow I think that's an "old wives tale" Survival rate would be quite low if that were the truth and chickens survived without coops and runs before humans got involved! Made me laugh picturing a bunch of chickens with their beaks open "catching" rain like a little kid!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I've heard that about domestic turkeys not chickens.
Still I believe it to be false.

 

[Darklingstorm]

Well we just had a huge storm come through yesterday and it rained a lot. Didn't find any drowned chickens. Matter of fact they were all dry too. Guess they do know when to come in out of the rain.

 

[colby318]

I've heard that about the white production turkeys. But, since I've never raised any myself...
A few of my 2 month old wyandotte chicks are dust bathing under a tree while it's raining right now. The rest are hanging in their coop, watching. The adults are free range happily.

 

[ozark_chickies]

If a chick was very young, say a week or less,and got trapped in a very heavy down pour I could see it drowning, or getting getting too wet and freezing to death. Chicks that are older, who have a place to get out of the rain, should be in no danger. However rain can fill up buckets and containers, that small chicks could fall in and drown. My friend lost chicks that fell into a gallon bucket, they couldn't fly out of the water, and died. Sadly she was using the bucket to water out of, and learned the hard that it was a hazzard.

 

[SteveBaz]

not happening that way thats for sure they have to much survival instinct

 

[Gypsy07]

I love these silly stories, but can't imagine how they ever got started...

My chickens love running about in the rain. They always keep their beaks shut though!

 

[Judy]

There are whole threads on here full of old wives' tales -- quite entertaining. I also heard that particular one in relation to turkeys, not chickens. Never owned a turkey myself. (Yet.)

 

[JHillgrove]

Does that guy really own chickens, or is he just a lunatic? I would think someone who owns chickens would know they dont drown in the rain. I wouldn't listen to anything else he says, next he might tell you that chickens will try to suffocate a baby, like the people who still think that cats suffocate babies by sitting on their faces.