[bexy]

Hi all.
My poor ladies are in a sorry state today.
We have very strong winds and driving rain today.The run is covered but the rain and wind is blowing  straight through soaking everything even the ladies

I have been struggling in this horrid weather trying to make a shelter in one corner with heavy duty plastic landscape fabric by fastening it to the outside of the run and using heavy pallets leant aginst the run to stop it flapping about.
It seems to be working and they are all huggled up now in this corner.
My worry is that they are wet and cold and certainly not use to this.
Do you think they will be ok? Poor Beryl still has a bare botty too

[viettaclark]

I was worried about mine too, but they have been drenched before. They preen and dry off overnight. If it's really heavy rain they don't venture out and if it's light rain they'll dash to the fir tree and shelter there.
It's the mud baths that make me laugh!!! Can't tell what colour they are but they're definitely happy!

[Angus]

been horrible here all day but our gang are out come what may wet through too but once the rain stopped dried off in no time, but the rain has never put them off at all when we built a shelter but they would not use it.

[jo40]

Hello
I have raised the house, created a wind shelter and planted shrubs to shelter under.
What do they do - stand around in the driving rain looking like right sorry states
They haven't come to any harm so far.
Jo
 

[grumpydad]

mine came out until the strong wind, then they retreated under the coop, which is in a corner, protected on 3 sides, and have been there most of the day, they dont seem to mind the rain, but really hate the very strong winds

[AmandaH]

I went out (in the driving rain) to open the run door, thinking "they'll stay in" but - no - they shot out and starting pecking and scratching as usual.

They were absolutely soaked through in two minutes but didn't seem bothered.

I think I'd worry if it was colder but it's quite mild and they seemed to dry off when the sun came out this afternoon...

I think you'll find that, even if they have shelter available, they won't necessarily use it!

[judrop]

Hi same story soggy chooks ruffled feathers,
Feeling sorry for them, I put some of their favourite live yoghurt and codliver oil mixed with some pellets, and  some extra water with cider vinegar, on the patio where there was more shelter from the wind, rang their bell and they came flying over, when I looked out some time later, they were still there, UNUSUAL, so went out and found they were drying off in the warm air outlet from the tumble dryer!
What a giggle , love em !Ju

[pink-chicken]

I've been so worried about ours too as the weather here has been atrocious. From the moment I let them out around 6.45 into their pen the rain was falling in torrents. Their large pen has a flat slatted and netted roof covered by a temporary tarp, we can take this off on dry days. It's worked for the usual rainy days but this morning was something else. All started to bow in the middle with weight of water I had to resort to making a hole in the centre of the tarp and let the water pour through into one of those huge tublike buckets. Not sure who was wetter, me or the girlies. I've never known them so quiet either, none of the usual hen to hen morning chatter, mostly silent with the occasional grumble. It was a surreal morning as it was so dark too I think the girls wished they had stayed in bed! We had fun later on though after the girls had dried off and I dug over where soil had become muddy all girlies helping with worm removal  Never having been a boy I've not had the pleasure before of playing with worms, the girlies have changed all that! 

Jan.x

[Alby]

Wet chooks !!! If this rain gets any worse the coupe will need to double as an Ark  The gentle wee beck next to the coupe is a raging river 

    Can chooks swim 

 Alby

[Caralou]

It's been horrible here too. On my backside twice in the garden as the whole area is a mud bath - the ducks are in heaven digging it up for me and the chooks just look awful! All the adult girls have put themselves into the coop for the night, but the younger ones have decided to perch for the night where I cant reach them. They have (all 5 of them) made their way to the top of the tree and will not come down despite the rain and wind continuing  I'm not risking stepladders to get them down on the mud as I would probably end up in hospitalised and the chooks still in the tree  So, they are wet and cold and in the tree for the night if they dont make a move in the next hour. I'm chopping the tree back as soon as the weather perks up as well as clipping their wings tomorrow morning!

[Flowerpower136]

Thank the lord that we put that polycarb roof on
A bit wet round the boundary where the rain has blown in, so I've tipped a bale of softwood chips over that, so I don't go **** over **** in the mud.
But apart from that, we're reasonably dry and fluffy.
I spent a lot of yesterday afternoon in there with them, enjoying being out in rain and howling wind, but under shelter.  The girls seems oblivious to be honest.
Very preoccupied at the moment because I've filled a compost bay with leaves, and they are treating it like a bouncy castle   I'll have to try and get a pic.

[taximan]

let mine out as usual.just another day to me choooks. but when it belted down could see em sheltering in the greenhouse.

[IMOmimey]

like caralou i went base over apex this evening, with an egg in pocket! (there is one Welsummer girlie,June, who lays just before bed!). Only the egg and my pride injured. The girls are huddled together, wet, but appear warm enough. Just a suggestion, but make sure there is PLENTY of draft free ventilation, (i sometimes leave the roof a little ajar) because all that moisture has to go somewhere as they dry off.

?wondering if i can extend my tumble drier outlet hose to the bottom of my garden for them, that sounded so good!

[beulah59]

I struggled to put up some wind netting at 7am yesterday ... just round a corner of the run. But they've ignored it ...

They've spent some time huddling in the ark ... but not much 

[francais]

so went out and found they were drying off in the warm air outlet from the tumble dryer!

Mine were doing this yesterday!!! didn't click that's what they were up to till I read this, but that's just how mine were standing.