Do you let your chickens out in the cold rain?

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Mine will go out in a light drizzle. Since I sit with them while they are out I won't sit through drenching rain. The other day when it was pouring one of my girls decided to sneak out when I was cleaning the coop. After she got thoroughly soaked, she was begging to get back into the dry run.

 

[Sueby]

Sounds like everyone pretty much agrees on this!

They shall get to decide! I'm sure they all thank you, lol.

 

[Henry&Friends]

Mine don’t care about weather, when it’s raining I close the coop door a bit to keep some rain out but still let my birds in and out, although they never go in until it’s dark.

 

[Folly's place]

My south coop door is opened every day, unless there's a blizzard going on. The east door will be shut most of the time from now until spring, although that depends too. Right now most of the chickens are outside in the rain. I hustled back inside myself!
Mary

 

[karenerwin]

Mine have the choice of staying in, going out, going out but staying under the coop. They always go out! Sometimes during the hardest part of the pouring rain they will either go back in the coop or go under the coop or under a tarp that goes from the side of the coop to a fence a short distance away. I figure they have survived as a species this long, they can figure out what they need to do.

 

[PioneerChicks]

I leave the coops open all day and shut them at night. If they want to go out in the rain I can't stop them. I don't own my chickens, they own me.

 

[HAPPYCHICKENLADY17]

 

[moniquem]

I'm thinking about making a shelter for them that is open on all sides but has a roof, I'm not even sure they'll use it.

I did that and they didn't use it at all. Mine have a 8x8 covered run attached to the coop but they prefer to go outside and get totally soaked. I too was worried about the wet feathers when its cold but......

 

[FortCluck]

I did that and they didn't use it at all. Mine have a 8x8 covered run attached to the coop but they prefer to go outside and get totally soaked. I too was worried about the wet feathers when its cold but......

I have a 7,000 sq ft fenced-in area for my chickens and they have a 8x8 coop. The fenced-in area has part of the woods in it so they can go under the trees, but there's really no leaves on the trees right now because they're all falling off... I used to be so worried about my chickens being cold, but I realized it was just me that was cold not them. My chickens are perfectly fine even in the winter.

 

[N F C]

The door on my coop gets opened every day...rain, shine, snow. Some will venture out into the run and a couple others won't. I just let them decide what they want to do.