Is my pekin bantam male or female?

[chickychick]

Hi,

I've only had my girls since yesterday, and let them out to range in the garden today, where they were very happy digging stuff up and pecking things and eating the redcurrants, but despite the fact they had been popping back to the run so they clearly knew where it was, they didn't want to come in out of the rain. Eventually we gently herded them in, but they were quite damp by then.

 

Is it OK to leave them damp? Should we dry them off? Although it's summer I'm a bit chilly myself from getting rained on whilst watching them

Is it good for them to be outside in the rain - they had shelter available but just weren't using it...

 

thank you

 

Chickychick

[sophiemccoy]

My hens break every rule book and seem to love wandering outside in the rain. I think they're hippies! I tend to let them dry off themselves (although they're well-feathered now, if yours are baldies then I'd be more careful about them being damp) but if it's right before bed then I dry them with a hairdryer.

[Mercedes55]

On the very first weekend that we got our ex batts, which was just over a week ago, one of them managed to dash out of the run and ended up in our garden pond. My other half got her out but she got back in again, she was obviously quite wet and also full of duckpond week by the time we got her out. As it was very late by then and we weren't sure she would appreciate being dried off we just put her in the coop with the others and she was fine. I have read that chickens seem to 'run hot' and find the Summer harder to deal with than the Winter months

[docsquid]

Mine loved the rain/snow through the winter and autumn, but since we've had a drought for three months, and it rained for the first time today, they've been sitting in the run wondering what all that wet stuff is coming down from the sky

 

If it is raining, I do put them back in the run a bit earlier than usual so they have time to dry out and preen themselves a bit before they take themselves to bed.

[migsy]

Mine are not bothered by the rain either. I assume that if they want to stay out in it then it can't be bad for them. Their feathers seem quite waterproof.

[coco]

Unless its really hammering down mine are quite happy in the rain, they wander round looking half drowned but it doesn't bother them. As long as they have somewhere dry at night they will be fine.

[Lavenders_Blue]

It's plenty warm enough at night at the moment so they will happily drip dry overnight

[cooker]

Ours seem to cope with the rain fine, I did blow dry them when they got wet in the winter, I havent in the summer, they seem to dry off quite quick. Its only seems to be that worries about them in the rain! they just go wherever they fancy!

 

Rachel

[chickychick]

thanks everyone, good to know they're waterproof! They seem to know what they want to do, and always take themselves off to bed without prompting, so I'm happy if they are!

[sadietoo]

Rain...what rain????

Mine certainly haven't noticed any rain lately

[chickychick]

Rain...what rain????

Mine certainly haven't noticed any rain lately

 

well you can have some of ours! We've had some sort of rainforest weather here - hot & dry then buckets of rain, then hot again, etc... still, the grass is starting to come back now, and the chooks haven't quite eaten all of the lawn yet!