Silkies and rain

[Silkie fluff butts]

We're new to having Silkies. We have 3 10 week olds and live in southern Washington state where it rains often. As of now, they are inside pets who only go out on sunny days. We plan on acclimating them to the outdoors as the weather dries and warms up. But now I'm wondering about the rain once they are grown, going into the fall and winter. They will be in a smallish coop and run with 3 big hens and will have access most days to our large yard...well that was the plan. How should I handle things to keep them safe from being drenched and hypothermic?? Do I have to keep them out of the rain completely?

 

[Lemon-Drop]

Hey there, I am also from Washington! (Western though)

I have one full grown silkie, (in a flock of 13) plus 3 four week old silkies.

The four week old's have not been fully acclimated yet (though they're outside today enjoying the nice weather)

I recently covered part of their large run so they would have a bit of space to be dry, and they have a few trees in their run that help shelter them from the rain. Mochi still likes to walk around in the mud though (Mochi is the full grown silkie)

She seems to be pretty good at preening the dirt and mud off, though if she seems really muddy, I bring her inside and give her a bath, then blow dry her off. (I personally enjoy the process, and Mochi does too, but your hens might not)

My main worry with her getting caked in mud is that her feet/feathers might rot, so you can also just wash her feet.

I would also consider adding a bit of drainage to the run so that the mud doesn't pool up.

I hope this helps! I keep Mochi outside 98% of the time, and I've had not issues.


A few questions though:

Dimensions of the coop and run?
Photos of your setup?
What color silkies do you have? (this one I just want to know because I'm curious and love silkies!)

 

[OKChickenGuy]

My silkies LOVE the rain.... Secret duck lives maybe? They look aweful once they're wet, but as long as they CAN get out of the weather if they want, and that space is dry they should be just fine.

They're not into downpours, but the deep soaking just past sprinkles but hard, I cannot keep em in if I wanted....

 

[Silkie fluff butts]

Hey there, I am also from Washington! (Western though)

I have one full grown silkie, (in a flock of 13) plus 3 four week old silkies.

The four week old's have not been fully acclimated yet (though they're outside today enjoying the nice weather)

I recently covered part of their large run so they would have a bit of space to be dry, and they have a few trees in their run that help shelter them from the rain. Mochi still likes to walk around in the mud though (Mochi is the full grown silkie)

She seems to be pretty good at preening the dirt and mud off, though if she seems really muddy, I bring her inside and give her a bath, then blow dry her off. (I personally enjoy the process, and Mochi does too, but your hens might not)

My main worry with her getting caked in mud is that her feet/feathers might rot, so you can also just wash her feet.

I would also consider adding a bit of drainage to the run so that the mud doesn't pool up.

I hope this helps! I keep Mochi outside 98% of the time, and I've had not issues.


A few questions though:

Dimensions of the coop and run?
Photos of your setup?
What color silkies do you have? (this one I just want to know because I'm curious and love silkies)

Thanks for your reply! We are in a transition right now. We have 2 older hens (an Easter Egger and an Australorp), another older hen (looks like our Easter Egger, but smaller. We are her 3rd home and just got her from a friend where she was getting bullied by their flock.), and our 3 silkies. None have been introduced, but spend time all in the same big yard, but separated (2, 1, and 3) We just got a new 5x5x5(roughly) EZ coop set up, but in a few weeks it will be moved to a new pen that will be 32x22 and once everyone is full grown and fully integrated, they'll all have frequent access to our huge front yard. Now that the coop is up, I'm not so sure it's big enough. we'll see! The nest boxes are definitely going to be enlarged. The coop will be in a low spot, so I was thinking of pea gravel under and around the coop to control mud. What do you think? The rest of the area is mostly grass and a small hill section of dirt. I'm thinking we'll build an awning to cover the gravel and coop area.

You asked about the silkies' color: 2 buff and 1 black. Oddly, they are large, medium and small, even though I was told they were born on the same day. The black is maybe 1/2 the size of the large buff! Sadly, we're pretty sure the biggest is a rooster and wouldn't be able to keep him once he starts crowing. )-: Sorry, been too busy to upload pics. Maybe tomorrow.

 

[Silkie fluff butts]

Hey there, I am also from Washington! (Western though)

I have one full grown silkie, (in a flock of 13) plus 3 four week old silkies.

The four week old's have not been fully acclimated yet (though they're outside today enjoying the nice weather)

I recently covered part of their large run so they would have a bit of space to be dry, and they have a few trees in their run that help shelter them from the rain. Mochi still likes to walk around in the mud though (Mochi is the full grown silkie)

She seems to be pretty good at preening the dirt and mud off, though if she seems really muddy, I bring her inside and give her a bath, then blow dry her off. (I personally enjoy the process, and Mochi does too, but your hens might not)

My main worry with her getting caked in mud is that her feet/feathers might rot, so you can also just wash her feet.

I would also consider adding a bit of drainage to the run so that the mud doesn't pool up.

I hope this helps! I keep Mochi outside 98% of the time, and I've had not issues.


A few questions though:

Dimensions of the coop and run?
Photos of your setup?
What color silkies do you have? (this one I just want to know because I'm curious and love silkies!)

My silkies LOVE the rain.... Secret duck lives maybe? They look aweful once they're wet, but as long as they CAN get out of the weather if they want, and that space is dry they should be just fine.

They're not into downpours, but the deep soaking just past sprinkles but hard, I cannot keep em in if I wanted....

Lol, funny that they like the rain! So you don't have to dry them? Good to know! our coop is a bit small for them to hang out in during the day. Or maybe that's just MY opinion. Hmmm.

 

[Waves]

I have one Silkie and she loves rain!
She is horrible when she is wet, but, if it isn't much cold, i left her outside. In general, when there is very bad wheather in winter i keep all of them in the nighthouse..even my ISA and my Blackstars. But this because they have a respiratory problem that goes worse if they get: rain + cold together. From March until January (approximately) i left them outside(but i live in Italy so i don't know how much is cold in Washington!)
It would be a good idea to put a sort of canopy, so if they don't want to get wet, they can stay there.

 

[MickWithChicks]

All my silkies past and present have loved the rain. They look a bit silly when they're wet, but that doesn't let it bother them.

 

[OKChickenGuy]

Lol, funny that they like the rain! So you don't have to dry them? Good to know! our coop is a bit small for them to hang out in during the day. Or maybe that's just MY opinion. Hmmm.

NOT that I didn't think they needed to be dried -- they just wanted no part of it. So.... you wanna be wet, ok.... LOL If it's too harsh, they get under cover. They look terrible soaking wet, but who am I to interfere if that's what they want to go and be in.

Really, other than being predator stupid, they do well on their own.
I think if they were born "wild" they'd be better at the predator part though. For that, they rely heavily on us.