Is a wet chicken good for health?

[dacdeihl]

We have rain, rain, and more rain. I manage two coops at two locations and both runs are mud!!!

Is it ok to lock chickens in their coop so they don't get too wet and muddy? It seems like it shouldn't be good for them. I put plenty of scratch grains in the wood chips in the coop to keep them occupied. They have plenty of water and food. They also have a heat source to stay warm.
Any suggestions on wet chickens?

 

[The Chicken People]

My coop is leaking and I hear wet is bad!

 

[dacdeihl]

So I did a good thing at shutting them in. What about snow? Does anyone suggest how to get them run time in the winter? What temp is too cold to go outside in the winter?

 

[whytedragon]

Oops, I hope I didn't just doom my chickens. It's been raining all morning, temp is 56F, and I let them out for a bit. Figured if they get too wet they'll run back to the shed...but they played around in it. I just put them up after about an hour.

 

[Keara]

With Rain I figure if they need to go in they will, as long as they have a dry place to go you should be fine.
As for cold. Unless the snow is too deep or soft for them to walk on top of they would like to be out........ I have had chickens for 4 years going out every day in the winter. Even down to -20. Only time I close them in, durring the day, is if there is a storm. I've been known to shovel them paths in the snow so they can get out when the snow is deep.

PS I'm in Vermont

 

[HBuehler]

We had over 12" of rain in just a few days a couple of weeks ago.My chickens are never locked up.They went out to play in the mud like all kids and not one had any ill effects from it.When it gets real severe they will go inside.More storms on the way today...and it's rained several more times since then.keep your chickens in optimal health and they will ward off the bad stuff on their own
If they are fully feathered there is no need for any heat this time of year especially..that could actually be real bad on them they need to adjust to the weather naturally
It takes a lot to get a chicken wet..they shed the water off the outside feathers and are nice and dry under-that's why chickens play in the rain without minding.Mother Nature didn't screw up every animal made that's what humans are for

 

[whytedragon]

Oh, ok. I've got them locked away right now, but i'll let them out once the rain settles. The RIR hens were drenched, but they have less fluff than my BR hens. The BR's didn't even look the least bit wet...just the RIR's...they looked pitiful, lol.

 

[dacdeihl]

This is the first time I've locked them inside. They are drenched! Feathers sticking out all over. Not the pretty smooth coat. They look like they have been through a car wash. And the run in complete mud. Yuck! I'm sure they don't mind all the woms that come to the surface though.

Thanks for the snow info. It will be my first winter with chickens. It's supposed to be one of the worst on record, says the Almanac. It is usually right. We are preparing our house for a hard winter. Maybe a repeat of the 78' blizzard??? I was just a yearling then, so I don't remember but my old folks said it was something.

Thanks yall.

 

[jamz]

Mine have been out all day in the rain, and the temp is in the high 30'sF. Silly things, but they seem to be relishing it.

 

[gritsar]

A neighbor that's been keeping track told me that we haven't had a day without rain since August. My chickens have been out in it. They have dry places to go if they choose.
They were out every day last winter, including during an ice storm.