Chickens die when it rains

[Masterjoe]

So I have my cornish rocks in a covered chicken tractor. Have chicken wire for sides and corrugated tin roof. They been fine here almost 2 weeks. Birds are about 3 weeks old. We got an in of rain yesterday and at the end of the storm it was cooler outside obviously. I had 6 dead chickens. Today its 63 outside and by 12:00 I have 3 more dead. I'm not happy. Any suggestions or anyone else have this problem? This is not my first rodeo dealing with this issue. Need a fix. Thinking about laying 2 large tarps over it on cooler rainy days to keep it a bit warmer inside. I had 48 birds in a 14 ft 9 in by 8 ft tractor 24 inches high. I now have 37 chickens.

 

[SilverBirds]

Did they have a heater? How heavy was the rain? I've had young chicks that were about 4 weeks old that died from drowning in the rain. They may have gotten to wet and couldn't dry off.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Do they have a coop like setup to properly get away from the wet and cold? So basically a coop that has at least three walls, a proper roof and possible floor. Do you have a heat lamp that could keep them warm? Did they have enough food and water and could get to them dry while it was raining? Did you check them for any possible injuries? One good place to look is on the neck close to the head.

As far as the tin roof, how loud was that rain? The Cornish Rocks are prone to a lot of health issues including broken legs and heart attacks. Depending on how the storm started out and went, there is a possibility that some could of had a heart attack, or just plain too much stress from the storm. On another note, if it had hailed at any point and they were exposed, the hail could of killed them as well. (You didn't mention hail, just the word storm, so I'm assuming there was no hail?)

Check out your remaining birds. Look for things like they look like they're panting, but really are gasping. Listen for weird breathing sounds as well. Are they huddled? They could be cold and need a heat lamp. Coldness for too long can be dangerous. Are they quiet, chirping loudly, or happily? How is their overall behavior and posture?

 

[Masterjoe]

None of the above issues except no heat lamp or walls. What I've done now is place a 15x20 tarp over the whole thing when it rains or gets cold. I'll update again next rainstorm if it happens again.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

None of the above issues except no heat lamp or walls. What I've done now is place a 15x20 tarp over the whole thing when it rains or gets cold. I'll update again next rainstorm if it happens again.

So the birds got soaked when it rained?

 

[aart]

So I have my cornish rocks in a covered chicken tractor. Have chicken wire for sides and corrugated tin roof. They been fine here almost 2 weeks. Birds are about 3 weeks old. We got an in of rain yesterday and at the end of the storm it was cooler outside obviously. I had 6 dead chickens. Today its 63 outside and by 12:00 I have 3 more dead. I'm not happy. Any suggestions or anyone else have this problem? This is not my first rodeo dealing with this issue. Need a fix. Thinking about laying 2 large tarps over it on cooler rainy days to keep it a bit warmer inside. I had 48 birds in a 14 ft 9 in by 8 ft tractor 24 inches high. I now have 37 chickens.

Are these Cornish Cross meat birds?
Does tin roof keep the rain off of them?
Is the ground in the tractor flooding?

no heat lamp

For 3 week olds?
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Yardmom]

Even if they are not getting really wet at 3 weeks old the dampness would be enough to make them cold in the temps you mention. 3 week old chicks need heat if the temperature is to cool for humans without a sweatshirt.

 

[Byrd gal]

My 3 week olds are outside but They do need heat in cold damp weather. A box to huddle in with bedding and a heating pad or flat panel off the ground. The dampness from the ground robs them of body heat.