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Do 6 week old chicks know to get out of the rain?

Discussion in 'Raising Baby Chicks' started by SewingMom2many, May 13, 2011.

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  1. May 13, 2011 #1
    SewingMom2many

    SewingMom2many New Egg

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    Apr 22, 2011
    I'm sure this is probably a dumb question but here goes...

    I lease property where I keep my chickens and it's 2 minutes from my house so I come and go frequently. There is a very large hen house and about pretty large fenced area (about 1/2 acre) for them to go out in. For now, my 6 week old chicks have been in my garage and they go out to meet their older chicken sisters when I go out to our property and they stay for a couple of hours at a time.

    I want to start leaving them out there all day and just bringing them back at night but which the chances of rain I've been bringing them home to the garage. They LOVE it out at the farm and I'd like to leave them all day and just bring them back at night but I'm afraid that they won't know to go inside the hen house if it starts raining. Or if they get out at the end of their fenced area will they be able to figure out the way back to the hen house?
     
  3. May 13, 2011 #2
    Arcnadius

    Arcnadius Chillin' With My Peeps

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    Aug 1, 2010
    Western WI
    My little girls are tolerating light rain well but will flee for the coop when the fat rain starts. Thunder is a guarantee that they'll flee for safety of the coop! Once inside, they take turns poking their heads out to see if the rain has stopped. When the "all clear" sounds, they march down the ramp in a parade.
     
  5. May 13, 2011 #3
    sj3364

    sj3364 Chillin' With My Peeps

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    Apr 21, 2011
    Grand Rapids, MI
    I've had my 6 week old chick in their new coop since Monday night. Wednesday night I asked my (20 yr old) son to put them in the coop at night because everyone else would be gone. I got home at 10:30 in the middle of a pouring thunderstorm. My son was gone so I thought I better check on the chicks. He had tried to put them away but didn't close the coop door to the run so they all came back out and were huddled in the corner, soaking wet!

    So, no. Six week old chicks do not know to come in out of the rain.
     
  7. May 13, 2011 #4
    Bengalcats1

    Bengalcats1 Chillin' With My Peeps

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    Apr 29, 2011
    Quote:[​IMG]
     
  9. May 13, 2011 #5
    BairleaFarm

    BairleaFarm Chillin' With My Peeps

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    May 3, 2011
    Georgetown, KY
    Mine started free ranging today. We had a horrible rain storm blow up. I came home to see if they were ok. They were all inside. Now I dont know if they went in on their own or if my few older birds brought them in.
     
  11. May 13, 2011 #6
    Nicole01

    Nicole01 Overrun With Chickens

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    Mar 28, 2011
    MN
    Luckily mine did. I wasn't home yesterday and had the coop open to the run. They stayed inside the whole time. I was lucky!
     

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