wet chickens with cold weather approaching

[kscottjoyce]

My chickens are soaked from rain today. Tonight is supposed to be 18 degrees. Wondering if they will be okay in the cold weather if they are wet? Thank you so much for any responses!

 

[dkosh]

My silly hens are outside today also, totally soaked. They will be fine. They will go inside when they are ready and preen themselves and they should be fine.

 

[kscottjoyce]

That's good news, thank you! I was imagining chickens frozen solid tomorrow morning..

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
If water not getting down into down next to skin, they will be fine. Only problem to watch for is freezing of flight feathers that potentially limits ability to acquire roost.

 

[kscottjoyce]

Despite their objection, I put them in the coop to give time to dry before it gets too cold. they have a ladder to the roost so they should be fine in that respect.

 

[elmo]

Soaked, as in literally? Meaning the down feathers under the outer ones are all matted flat? If so, that's very bad, because once the down feathers are wet and flattened they lose their insulating properties.

If your birds' down feathers are still this wet when the temperature starts going down after dark, they will have a hard time maintaining their body temperatures. I don't know at what temperature a bird goes into hypothermia.

 

[kscottjoyce]

Just checked on them and they seem to have already dried up a bunch. Glad I put them in the coop when I did.