Rain will it harm my chickens.

[RedJungleFowl]

x3.

Simply provide shelter from wind and rain that they can choose to go into and they will take care of themselves. Chickens have oil glands that coat their feathers which offers natural protection, and I've seen them graze happily through drizzle.

A soaked bird can be a bad thing if it is really cold and they go to roost soaked to the bone, ie soaked down to the skin. (What we see as wet is usually just the top feathers shedding water with the under down still dry next to the skin.)

I live in the great Northwet too, and I a couple of times I have added some extra pine shavings and sometimes sprinkled it on top of them to help absorb the rain from their feathers if they got really, really soaked and went to roost being that wet. (I have a couple of fence jumpers who can get really soaked in cold rain.)

CRD can be brought on by environmental stress, so if a bird is suffering from that or a big overload of worms, getting cold and soaked could be a bad thing. But a normal healthy chicken who has a nice dry cozy coop to snuggle in and dry themselves off in the nesting material will take care of themselves just fine.

Lady of McCamley

Oh i see i though there feather aren't water proof..

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Oh i see i though there feather aren't water proof..

Not in and of themselves...however when a chicken preens it picks up a waxy oil from its oil gland on its tail (the uropygial gland which most birds have) and spreads it through the feathers which oil the feathers making them resistant to water ( or waterproofing...similar to oiling an old fashioned type rain coat).
http://chickens.wikia.com/wiki/Uropygial_gland

You can see the gland and a good informational article here:
http://www.chickeneggspert.com/chicken-behavior/feather-preening/34.asp

 

[RedJungleFowl]

Not in and of themselves...however when a chicken preens it picks up a waxy oil from its oil gland on its tail (the uropygial gland which most birds have) and spreads it through the feathers which oil the feathers making them resistant to water ( or waterproofing...similar to oiling an old fashioned type rain coat).
http://chickens.wikia.com/wiki/Uropygial_gland

You can see the gland and a good informational article here:
http://www.chickeneggspert.com/chicken-behavior/feather-preening/34.asp

Oh thanks.

 

[RedJungleFowl]

So also on preening when their feather are all mess up when they preen will it close the gap.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

So also on preening when their feather are all mess up when they preen will it close the gap.

Yes...they "re-zip" the feathers.
Lady of McCamley

 

[RedJungleFowl]

Yes...they "re-zip" the feathers.
Lady of McCamley

Oh thanks cause i always hold them and some times there feather get mess up.