how wet can a chicken get...serious question

[Country Living Farm]

Ok. Have several pens. some with cover some with none. It seems I wasted my time with the covers. The covered ones do not cover the whole pen just a place for them to stay dry if raining. but..................they do not use it as all. The stand in the rain. Can the rain hurt them at all? I hate to see them all wet as they look like drowned rats!!!!!!!!!!! Do I really need to have covers ove rthe pens. I use dog kennels for my coops and I have just netting over some and again, it seems the rain does not bother them at all. So is a water proof cover really need.


Whewwww, I got long winded there for a simple question.

 

[SilverPhoenix]

As long as they have some shelter, like a henhouse for instance, they'll be perfectly fine! Chickens can get sopping wet and still be just fine unless it's really really cold (we're talking in the single digits or negatives.) If they choose to get wet and look pathetic and silly, all the more power to them.

It won't hurt them at all. I would always have some shelter available for them if they want to get out of the rain, but other than that, don't worry about it.

 

[Nostalchic]

Are you saying that they have no coop to go into, or any shelter at all... just the 'pens'? My chickens have a coop and shelter, but will sometimes stay out in the rain - not usually, though.

 

[Ema]

Wow great question I am currently building my pen aswell and I too would like to know this. I had planned on doing a covered area to give them shelter from the sun and rain. I do wonder if they could get sick from getting soaked from the rain. looking forward to reading some of the answers.

 

[Country Living Farm]

Quote:
Ok. Cool. That saves me lots of tie on the work list tomorrow. I ma going to build some T-P looking things out of pallets with a tarp nailed to it now. They can use that for shelter.

Tks

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Depends on temperatures and other weather conditions. Near freezing downpour in the winter is very bad; like sprinkle on a hot summer day probably feels good to them.

 

[Country Living Farm]

Quote:
In florida no sprink. I do not know what that is. We get down poors for 20 minutes and sunshine the rest. Heck I can drive in and out of the rain 20 times in a 5 mile trip.

 

[crazy chook]

Mine free range most of the day and are in a coop at night, rain hail or shine they still go out in it!!

 

[EastTexasChick]

We had a huge down pour last week where I live.. This is my first flock so I thought the rain would hurt them (get them sick etc.) so I tried to get them back in the coop for over 30 minutes, then finally gave up.. They did look like drowned rats (and so did I lol) but after my panic left of trying to save my babies I noticed they seemed to be loving the cool rain (has been upper 90's and 100s).. And after they dried off, there feathers looked so much fluffer and cleaner... They spent the rest of the day hunting for worms the rain brought up...

 

[TK421]

Here in Texas, I've found that my chickens need the shelter from the sun more than the rain. Make sure they can get out of the hot sun in the middle of the day.