[Mrs S]

I'm new to chickens, so tell me, when it's raining are they ok to just stand in it or should I put them in their run?

[vichope74]

pretty new to chooks myself, but I leave the run door open and leave it up to them to decide.  If they get a bit wet they then have a dust bath in their shavings.  If it starts to pour they take shelter back in the covered run. Same seems to go for snow and blustery weather.

[Jeanette]

Mine love the rain as long as it is not pouring they are quite happy

[azubah]

Mine seem to like it too. I cought one having a paddle in a washing up bowl of water the other day. It was only a little above freezing but she seemed to be enjoying it.
I think I must have chicken/duck hybrids.

[Mrs S]

Bless them! It's just with mine being ex-batts, I didn't know if I had to 'teach' them to shelter. There's plenty of places in the garden and I leave their house door open. We've only had a bit of drizzle today but I don't want them to suffer a downpour and be wet for bed- especially when we had -10C the other night 

[carl]

all i have read about them says they don`t  like getting wet as there feathers are not waterproof like a ducks 

[janet12000]

Mine don't seem to care if it's raining. The rain makes the worms come out 

[min200]

It poured here today and 2 of my exbatts ran for shelter and the other 2 just stood there looking up at the sky with a confused look on their faces 

[hillfooter]

Mine don't seem to care if it's raining. The rain makes the worms come out 

Usually it's Flubenvet!!

Seriously though there's no need to teach them how to behave as chickens as long as there's available shelter provided they will decide themselves.  Like any animal they don't like being heavily soaked and will seek shelter in heavy rain though will tollerate light showers.
HF

[kirstie1978]

It has been hammering down here all day and my chickens are soaked. They have shelter and I even locked them back in but they started squawking to come out. Should I towel dry them before they go to sleep? I don't want them getting cold overnight.

[hillfooter]

It has been hammering down here all day and my chickens are soaked. They have shelter and I even locked them back in but they started squawking to come out. Should I towel dry them before they go to sleep? I don't want them getting cold overnight.

At this time of year they won't get too cold.  Best not to molliecoddle them.

HF

[kirstie1978]

Ok Thanks! Being over protective probably think it's as my parrot had a heart attack and died  a few weeks ago and i've lost a couple in the aviary the past month and the cat has decided to be poorly too! haha! Not my year!

[Raven81]

Mine are in their run - which I decided yestereday to put a load of new soil in so when I got home from work today it was like a mud bath! the door to their coop is open and they go in when they like.  As long as they know how to get back in they'll decide for themselves! There's a post on here somewhere saying chickens don't lose much body heat - someone posted it when I said I was putting a heater in their coop! 

[kirstie1978]

That's ok then! As you can see by the photo i added she's pretty drenched! Almost want to take the hair dryer to them!!!

[terri]

its been raining constant here since 10 this morning and mine have been in it all day they look soaked and sorry for themselves but have not gone in the coop ,i did put up the huge parasol in there run but they even chose not to go under that too