hens soaking wet from getting rained on andit's cold ousite?

[Roosterfry]

Today my chickens got soaked and the have a dry coop to roost in out of the wind, but I checked them just at dark on the roost and one hen especially is still very wet. It's been getting down in the 30's and 40's F. at night. Do I need to turn the heat on in the coop with a brooder light? I would rather not turn a light on them just yet. I'm wanting to give them a couple weeks to take a break from laying. Do chickens get hypothermia? Thanks in advance for thoughts and suggestions!

 

[zrossk]

Can you dry them with a towel or something?

 

[nurse_turtle]

They will be fine, just leave them be.

 

[southerndesert]

Quote:
Gotta use the ol' X-2 here and they will be fine....

 

[wyododge]

They are remarkably resilient, and down is not like cotton when it gets wet, it is more like wool. The outer layers of feathers look wet, and probably are, but the down, the real meat of the chickens insulation is full of oils to aid in retaining heat, even if wet.

Edit - crap I forgot, toweling them off will REMOVE the oil from their feathers (bad), they will clean themselves up just fine.

 

[7L Farm]

Don't baby them their chickens. They will handle it.

 

[Roosterfry]

Thank ya'll I can sleep a little better now. I've had chickens most of my life and never put as much thought into taking proper care of them as I do now. In the past if a hen died it was no big deal. But now, since I've been taking great care in my breeds that I consider valuable I have pampering these guys! I finally have the breeding stock number of hens I wanted to make it through for spring breeding season I would hate to even lose one!