What to do about a wet chicken...

fowlplayonli

In the Brooder
7 Years
Jun 10, 2012
12
3
24
long island, ny
I know our girls (2 Brahmas & 2 Orpingtons, 23 weeks) are cold hardy, and they seem to have handled our frosty days well so far. Today we were unexpectedly hit with that Nor'Easter (it wasn't supposed to be as serious this far east on the Island, but we got a lot of snow.)
When I went out the coop toward the end of the day to check on the girls, I noticed they were all wet. Why didn't they go in the coop when not feeding? Why did those crazy girls stay out there? Will they be okay and dry out on their own? (They're snuggled in the coop for the evening.) Or am I just a paranoid new chicken mommy?
I appreciate your thoughts...
 
when its raining hard my two chickens go under the stairs to be dry but one hen stays outside in the pouring rain and got soaking wet but she was fine but once in a while she would go under the stairs to cluck to fellow chicken friends but she would just go outside again then at one point she will just dry off i dont really do anything about it but sometimes i make them go in there coop and close the door so they cant get out but i leave the window thing open a bit so they have some sunlight
 
I know our girls (2 Brahmas & 2 Orpingtons, 23 weeks) are cold hardy, and they seem to have handled our frosty days well so far. Today we were unexpectedly hit with that Nor'Easter (it wasn't supposed to be as serious this far east on the Island, but we got a lot of snow.)
When I went out the coop toward the end of the day to check on the girls, I noticed they were all wet. Why didn't they go in the coop when not feeding? Why did those crazy girls stay out there? Will they be okay and dry out on their own? (They're snuggled in the coop for the evening.) Or am I just a paranoid new chicken mommy?
I appreciate your thoughts...

As long as the coop is draft free, they should be fine.
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I'm in the pacific northwest. If my birds didn't go out in the rain they would be inside from November to May! They'll be fine. Actually, if you check them, often their feathers will be soaked but their skin itself is dry and warm.
 
Thanks, everyone. I felt better after reading the replies. The girls still haven't learned their lesson (they got wet from the snow again this week) but they seem to be doing fine. Oh, chicken behaviour...
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If it's really cold and they look miserable enough to guilt you into it, take 'em in the house and blow dry them on low heat. They actually like it and relax and fall asleep while you do it. I SWEAR, I'm not kiddin' ya! The first time I read that and heard about bathing and blow drying chickens I thought someone was a/pullin' my leg and b/NUTZ. I thought no way will those half wild birds allow me to wash and fluff 'em. Well, I got educated. Fluff and Fold day here at Pat's Chicken Beauty Salon has become a very popular day. They love it!
 
Thanks for this thread. I actually have a situation where my husband went to give the girls water and who knows what happened but he got some of them wet and its cold cold out. I will go start nabbing them one by one and drying them off. I thought they would freak out with the blow dryer too, but *crossing fingers* lets hope that is not the case. Thanks again!
 
Our girls are very cuddly, I'm sure they'd love a blow dry... but bringing them in the house makes for an interesting time, so I think we'll let them be for now.
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They are so funny in the rain! (Wait, they're ALWAYS funny...)
 

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