Orpington's and the rain

[chickenbythesea]

I am new to raising orpington chicks... we got a couple lavender one's a few weeks ago (they're about 5 weeks now) and I have read that orpington's aren't supposed to get wet since they're so fluffy? Now, mine don't look any different other than colour from my other chicks that range from 5-10 weeks old. We are supposed to get rain today (hallelujah!! haven't had any in weeks and we really need it!) and I am wondering what to do with these two chicks? I don't have a means to keep them locked up while the others are outside. I've always left the coop door open and if they birds want out in the rain that's their choice... they always go out in the rain.

Will these chicks have the inborn sense not to go out or do I have to worry about them getting chilled and sick? Since we haven't had rain since we got them I have no idea what to expect and I hate to lock all the birds up because of just two. Any advice would be appreciated
.

 

[ESofVA]

Make sure they get inside. I had my 4 week old chicks outide in a house with a small pen and a lamp at the back of the pen. Also, we had a tarp over 1/2 of the pen. We had a BIG storm and the lamp threw a breaker. My husband went out in the rain, it was dark...about 9:30 pm, to see what had happened. He came running back in yelling for me to come that chicks had been electrocuted. He had one chick in his hand. It looked dead but it wasn't...just soaked and hypothermic. We ran back out side and I crawled in the pen. About 1/2 of the chicks were in the house, the others were at the back of the pen. I started picking them up and the ones that were somewhat damp but still very warm, I tossed through the door into the house ( it has hay in the bottom and an even smaller house in there). The others I put in the bottom of my t-shirt until it was full and then started handing them out to my DH. When we finished, I closed the rest in the house so they couldn't get back out. We took the soaked, ones that were beginning to get cold into our kitchen and dried them with paper towels, put them in a tub with towels and a heating pad. The three coldest inc the one that looked dead, I put on my chest with a heating pad over the, covers over top of that (I took them to bed with me), and I read until they were nice and warm and dry. I ended up losing 3 bantams. A few of the others have colds which I am treating. I lost one more after that...I kept her in the house longer than the rest and babied her but no use.
So...please be very careful.

 

[ESofVA]

BTW...the one in your pic looks either sick or is cold.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Just make sure your chicks can easily find shelter and know where 'home' is. Mine are free to go outside at will from week one. They might become confused in a severe storm and a scared chicken will follow it's instinct to run away...once they know they can run home they'll be fine. Feathers benefit from some rain as nature intended and are able to find shelter, even if it's under a thick bush. Just watch them and see...lend a hand if they need it.

 

[chickenbythesea]

thanks for the help... and no, they're neither sick nor cold.. they were just together eating bugs off the tree. We've been very fortunate; we haven't had a sick hen yet. Those lavender orpingtons are amongst the busiest in the group, they're also the youngest at 5 weeks. They all know where home is too... they've been the fastest at learning to go back into the coop. They're the first breed we've had that had any "restriction" on activities. The rest are really robust and climate appropriate. I just couldn't turn down the lavender colour... didn't realize when we got them that they were sensitive. Thats why I wasn't sure if they'd have the sense to go in out of the rain. I will be sure to put them in today since it's supposed to be a heavy rain. The big girls can figure it out for themselves... they'll probably stand in the rain and get soaked... they do every other time

 

[what did I do]

I've never given a thought to my orpingtons being out in the rain. I've never had a problem with them either. Mine free range but go into the coop at dark. If it gets dark when it rains the chickens will go into the coop - that is what mine do.

 

[chickenbythesea]

i had read somewhere that because they were so fluffy that the rain penetrated and that they shouldn't get wet... i'm glad to know that you've never had a problem with yours... I won't worry about it then. I just know that my big girls love the rain and never go in even if they're soaked to the bone... think they're nuts

 

[donrae]

That's one of those internet things folks read and repeat without thinking things through. Orpingtons are a breed from England. Where else does it rain as much as England? I guarantee the first breeders of orps didn't lock them up every time it rained.

My orps are out in the rain all the time, I'm in the PNW and if they weren't out in the rain sometimes they'd never be out lol. All my birds are healthy and happy.

 

[chickenbythesea]

guess you're right... england is pretty rainy... I never generally fuss about the birds... they have to live and make do the same way they would have a hundred years ago. I'm a little sheepish now, when I think about this it's finally started raining and my big girls are out in it... the little ones put themselves in and we just shut the door. When it lets up to a drizzle I will open the door again (i don't want to get wet). Thanks for putting it into perspective donrae

 

[ESofVA]

My largr chickens...4 month old...do stay in the rain if they want...I was referring to some I have that were under4 weeks old gettinhg too wet and then cold by getting drenched during a very big storm.