Heavy rain - should I be worried?

[sunflower4you]

New chicken mom here. We just left the house to make a quick run to the library. While we were gone, a sudden thunderstorm rolled through with heavy rain and some pea-sized hail. It hailed at the library, but I don't think it hailed back at our house. As soon as we got home, I went to check on my 8-week-old chicks and I thought they were in the coop, but they were actually just huddled on top of each other in a corner of their run under a lawn chair. Still, they are all wet now. They seemed a little shell-shocked because I picked them up one by one and put them in the coop and they didn't run away or protest. I closed them in the coop because it is still raining lightly and I'm hoping they'll dry out a bit before bedtime in a couple of hours. It is supposed to get down to 54 degrees tonight. Should I worry that they are soaked and try to dry them off? Or am I being ridiculous and they are chickens and they will be fine? They have been living in their coop/run for 3 weeks. I thought they would have the sense to go in the coop if it was pouring rain!

 

[bobbi-j]

You're not being ridiculous, but they are chickens and they will be fine.

They did show sense in trying to get out of the rain (huddling under the lawn chair) and they'll huddle together tonight if they need to, to stay warm if they're chilled. Once they're fully feathered, they can tolerate being wet, cool weather, etc. as long as they are able to be out of the wind.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

You're not being ridiculous, but they are chickens and they will be fine.

They did show sense in trying to get out of the rain (huddling under the lawn chair) and they'll huddle together tonight if they need to, to stay warm if they're chilled. Once they're fully feathered, they can tolerate being wet, cool weather, etc. as long as they are able to be out of the wind.

X 2 -- they could have gone into the coop, they chose not to, they did seek shelter elsewhere and they will be just fine. Being worried doesn't make you ridiculous, it makes you a concerned chicken parent

 

[sunflower4you]

Thanks for your input! The rain stopped so I let them back out of the coop and they seem to be pretty dry already. Live and learn - guess we all have to go through these "firsts" to learn! (Apparently reading 6 different books about chicken keeping didn't fully prepare me!)

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Thanks for your input! The rain stopped so I let them back out of the coop and they seem to be pretty dry already. Live and learn - guess we all have to go through these "firsts" to learn! (Apparently reading 6 different books about chicken keeping didn't fully prepare me!)

The thing about all those books is you have to get the CHICKENS to read the books, otherwise they don't know they are/aren't supposed to do x, y and z that the book tells you, lol.

 

[bobbi-j]

The thing about all those books is you have to get the CHICKENS to read the books, otherwise they don't know they are/aren't supposed to do x, y and z that the book tells you, lol.

 

[Esand75]

The thing about all those books is you have to get the CHICKENS to read the books, otherwise they don't know they are/aren't supposed to do x, y and z that the book tells you, lol.

Now that's funny right there!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Years ago, while we were acting as puppy raisers for a guide dog school, I may or may not have convinced a few rather gullible people that the hardest part was teaching the dog to read.....I mean, how else are they supposed to read signs, etc to know where the person they are guiding is asking them to go?

 

[bobbi-j]

Years ago, while we were acting as puppy raisers for a guide dog school, I may or may not have convinced a few rather gullible people that the hardest part was teaching the dog to read.....I mean, how else are they supposed to read signs, etc to know where the person they are guiding is asking them to go?

That's hilarious! When my farm boys went to college in the big city, they had half their dorm convinced that their chores included fluffing the chickens and walking the goats (we don't have goats).

 

[Lollie508]

They will be ok. And I don't think your over reacting or anything. Even if it's pouring at my house my chickens will usually still stay out.
I