Two things I don’t understand

[RW1984]

So couple behaviors I don’t get.
1. I just saw this today. One of my birds squawked a bit and when I look she was backing up, with her head down really close to the ground and her but way up in the air. She backed up about 4-6 feet before it stopped.
2. I don’t have a ton of cover in my chicken run roof wise. It’s something I’m working on but haven’t managed to get yet. Financially speaking anyways.
So I’ve noticed that when it rains as it is now, hard and heavy or even light rain, they just stand outside. Some go under the 4x4 sq ft area I have under a perch for shelter, but most just hang out in the rain. The coop is open, why not go inside? I don’t understand.
Any insight?

 

[Tamdog]

Mine do the same. They stand out in the rain, and will not head back to the coop. I think it is natural. In some parts of the world chickens roam free and are not pets. We are getting some heavy rains though!

 

[Hidrainja4]

This is an intelligence test. Are you smart enough to come in out of the rain, answer NO.

 

[lovesfarms]

Mine love it in the rain too! The worms come to the surface of the ground during rain and some times you can see the chickens pull them out of the ground! Rain generally rolls off their feathers unless they are really drenched. If it's a 0° day with no snow and no winds they will be outside then too.
I've also seen mine back up as you described. I think I've seen them do it for different reasons. Like if they are ready to eat a bug and suddenly determine it's not safe, I've seen them back up like that, as if they are afraid it might bite or sting them

 

[rosemarythyme]

Mine don't like rain but do NOT want to go into the coop unless they have to (caveat: the chicks will, but they think playing on the roost is fun too), so I have various rain shelters available, and they'll huddle under one.

 

[aart]

Yeah, some like it out in the rain.

The backing up thing....if it happens often there might some neurological thing going on.