Stupid birds

[Ayrshire Dave]

Rain of biblical proportions over the last few days,much more to come apparently. Why do my chooks who have somewhere warm and dry to go to insist on standing out in the terrible weather ?
They seem to like being sodden through to their skin, I have never seen a more miserable sight in my life yet they don't seem to care !

[HazellB]

One of my ex battery hens was called Earnest Shackleton on account of her love of all things snowy. She was a nutter in harsh weather, bless her.

So long as they aren't liable to get frozen feathers after bed we've stopped worrying about the soaked ones. If they're happy, good on them.

One thing I have noticed which I hope other people can confirm, is that the posh rare breeds in the flock tend to stay indoors and dry while the rescue girls just carry on outside as normal until they're soaked then go under a shed or indoors to clean up and dry off. That covers almost all rare breeds and almost all warrens out of the farms we've had. They all share a stable and all have the same life other than that one difference.

[bmpsands]

I only have 2 posh birds now - but they are certainly the first ones into the shed when the weather changes. The ex-comms stay out much longer. The rescued bantams only come out of the run if the weather is agreeable. If there are mists, heavy cloud, drizzle etc the stay in the shed.

[ulrikeelmleigh]

My first lot used to get really wet when it rained - it took them ages to learn to go under cover. But I've noticed that those growing up with a broody hen for a mother always go for shelter. Maybe because they learned it as chicks?