My grandmother used to say that if chickens stayed in the coop while it rained that the rain would only be lasting a short while. If they were out, the rain would last all day. I find this to be true with my chickens as well. Has any one else noticed this or is it my imagination?

-- connie (connie@mission4me.com), March 10, 2002

Answers

It's the bird's choice whether to be out free ranging or in the pens. They've been out in a freezing cold rain! We don't get much rain here, but I'd have to say the ol' wives tale doesn't work here!

-- ~Rogo (rogo2222@hotmail.com), March 11, 2002.

Connie, I noticed the same thing with our chickens. I've also seen it in cows. If they are up grazing in a rain, it'll rain all day. But with as little rain as we have had here in VA. I bet those critters will have forgotten what to do if it does rain!

-- Lynelle SOwestVA (x2ldp@aol.com), March 11, 2002.

I have heard this a lot and I also think it's true. (Have seen our chickens do this.) I even think there's a "scientific" reason for it-- --my thinking on it is that the chickens know that if it is going to rain for a long time they had better get all the food they can, even in the rain, but if it is just a short shower they know that they can go find shelter and will be able to come out in a little while. There are a lot of "old wives' tales" about animals and weather, and while some of them are just superstitions or something someone saw happen once or twice and generalized about, a lot of the animal/weather proverbs are based on fact. I used to work at The Old Farmer's Almanac and did a good bit of research on this---fascinating stuff.

-- Jeff Baker (lorianandjeff@aol.com), March 11, 2002.

Connie

I've never heard of this one - but now that I think about it - it's just what goes on around here! There have been days where they've stayed out of the rain, and others where they look like drowned rats! hahaha

Just recently though, we've had a few days with just brief showers, and one full day of a gentle soaking rain. And yup! The day it rained all day was the only day they were soaked! And here I was thinking that they were stupid to not get out of the rain! hehehe

Thanks for the insight!

-- dottie - in E Shore MD (mother-ducker@webtv.net), March 12, 2002.

I've noticed that with my chickens but I thought that they were just being extremely stupid.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), March 13, 2002.