Do chickens like water?

[Nsampsel]

My chickens have a bad habit of standing in the pouring rain when it's been hot out & then my daughter drags soggy Silkies in the house to be bathed to get the sand & dirt off of them from the run. I have 1 especially who never fails to do this. I think she just isn't smart enuf to get out of the rain...LOL Mine like to dig in damp sand & lay down in it on hot days. They will deliberately dump their water buckets to accomplish this if the sand is not wet enuf for their tastes. However, I have never seen a chicken deliberately take a bath. They tend to get a bit upset & frantic if they accidently end up in the water bucket.

 

[Nike]

I have a purple circle sled and I fill it up with water and they love to stand it in and drink it and stuff, which kind of grosses me out considering what they walk in... lol

 

[DeidaraSenpia]

I am raising 2 beautiful chicks, they are one of the breeds that you show in fairs and such. So, whenever I clean there cage (It's fairly large, and I keep it in my room, it's not as bad as it sounds

) I fill up my bathtub about 2-3 inches up and they seem to love it! They just walk around and flap every now and then. They drink it sometimes to, one time I tried to take one out and she flapped back into it. I make sure the water is pretty warm, but not Hot hot, if that makes any sense.

My babies are about 2.5 months.

 

[kschicks2013]

I live in Northern Nevada near Reno and I misted my hens, but they seemed to run away from it. I'll keep trying maybe they just need to get used to it. I hate to see them get overheated.

 

[chickie63]

My silkies love a bath -- settle right into warm water the few times I tried it. but the regular hens hate it! In fact I turn on a small sprinkler when they free range to keep them away from my unfenced gardens. Works beautifully!

 

[Bantamboys]

Mine love it.

 

[DonHess]

My 15 hens, now 12+ weeks old, live in a very nice hen house inside a 30 by 10 foot pen outside my little country convenience store. After 2+ weeks of drought it is finally pouring rain right now and I am watching the girls from home on our video security system. As they have done for all of their albeit short lives, they are all outside strutting around in the rain and being happy. Everybody has a chance to go in, but I don't see any takers.

At dusk I will drive back to the store and put my mad-as-a-wet-hen hens inside to roost.

BTW, as I have a huge ice maker at my store, the girls' outdoor waterer is nice, cool icewater on 100-degree days like this. They seem to like it.

And yes, they are spoiled.

 

[Bantamboys]

If healthy, they are waterproof, let them have fun. I have an area where they can dry and get out of the heat if needed. Animals....nature!!!

 

[DonHess]

Re: "animals -- nature" the most fun recently is that we have a small hatch of low-flying beetles that are making the fatal mistake of buzzing through the hen yard. The girls are hysterically funny to watch. They jump, they flap, one catches a beak-full and her jealous friends chase her in competitive attempted larceny and joy. Happy girls.

Don

 

[quails-101]

I don't know about chickens with water mine just stand in the duck pool the turkeys will sit in the water though.