Do chickens come in out of the rain? I don't know!

[WoodlandWoman]

Normally, I let adult chickens be where they want to be. The only exceptions are blizzards or tornadoes coming. Then they get locked up. For chicks, I watch out for them. They can get stranded by weather and chilled by a cold hard rain. Once they've gotten used to a new coop, gotten used to rain and know how to go in on their own, then I don't worry about them and rain.

 

[sadies chicks]

All 10 of my birds stay out in the rain. The 3 white silkies I have take the brunt of the rain since their feathers are so light and soft. By the end of the day they look like drowned rats, with their head feathers stuck together like spikes sticking out from their heads. It is acutally hilarious to see

, but don't tell them I said that! After a night in the hen house they are dry, fluffed up and ready for another onslaught of rain!

 

[flowergirl60]

We just had a real bad thunderstorm with tornado watches so I went out and put them in the coop. Now that the storm has passed it's still raining but I went ahead and opened the coop and out they came.

 

[Life is Good!]

Thanks everyone for the replies - it helps to know I'm not completely chicken crazy!

Seems that the change in barometric pressure must have had some effect in their little chicken brains...they were ALL inside, crouched in a heap underneath the window looking outside!

Of course, thirty minutes earlier (when I first heard thunder), I checked on 'em (I can hear my dr. yelling at me to 'sit down and get off your broken foot!') and they were all pecking around out in the run. Go figure!

I posted the question. Checked weather.com (it was nasty looking stuff coming our way). Went out to close the windows in the coop and shoo them inside - and lo and behold, there they all were - snuggling against each other cheeping, "what's happening?"

I guess I shant worry about them any longer!

At least not for this!

Thank you again! And yes, wet chicks are quite hilarious (but don't say I said that!)