Our most recent snow storm brought about 5 inches of snow. Thankfully, the snow was the light fluffy kind that made for easy plowing. The tractor doubles as a snow plow during the winter months and actually makes shoveling a long driveway kind of fun.
Temperatures have been below freezing most days and it has presented some small challenges - mainly keeping fresh water for the animals on a regular basis as it can turn to solid ice in just a couple hours. In the late afternoon, we check on things outside - most importantly, the water pails. Each night, we bring the water pails in the house to keep them from freezing and then return them to the coops first thing in the morning.
The three younger hens are still being kept in the barn. They are younger than the original flock and their smaller size makes them lower in "pecking order." Our initial attempt at introduction didn't go all that well so we're still keeping them separate for now. It went something like this. "Oh! Who are you?" And before any of the larger girls would listen to reason, they were proving their superiority with sharp pecks. Kevin recently set up a new coop in the empty horse stall. The younger chickens are happy but will certainly enjoy being on pasture in the Spring. One of them just started laying this morning!
On the coldest days, we toss a handful of scratch (cracked-corn) to the full-grown chickens in the outside coop. This helps them to have a full crop overnight, sort of like a nice warm bowl of oatmeal before bed. The chickens don't much care for walking in snow but will tolerate a little of it. They prefer the warmth of their coop and the feathery body heat of their sisters. When we lock up the coop at night, the hens are lined up on their roost bar, eyes half-closed. It's amusing to watch them jostle for their preferred spot on the roost bar, everyone wants to be in the middle.
And inside, we are all staying warm too ~ busily planning for Spring. A huge thank you to our friend Ben for fixing our computer. We will hopefully be able to post updates more often!
Stay Warm!
The three younger hens are still being kept in the barn. They are younger than the original flock and their smaller size makes them lower in "pecking order." Our initial attempt at introduction didn't go all that well so we're still keeping them separate for now. It went something like this. "Oh! Who are you?" And before any of the larger girls would listen to reason, they were proving their superiority with sharp pecks. Kevin recently set up a new coop in the empty horse stall. The younger chickens are happy but will certainly enjoy being on pasture in the Spring. One of them just started laying this morning!
On the coldest days, we toss a handful of scratch (cracked-corn) to the full-grown chickens in the outside coop. This helps them to have a full crop overnight, sort of like a nice warm bowl of oatmeal before bed. The chickens don't much care for walking in snow but will tolerate a little of it. They prefer the warmth of their coop and the feathery body heat of their sisters. When we lock up the coop at night, the hens are lined up on their roost bar, eyes half-closed. It's amusing to watch them jostle for their preferred spot on the roost bar, everyone wants to be in the middle.
And inside, we are all staying warm too ~ busily planning for Spring. A huge thank you to our friend Ben for fixing our computer. We will hopefully be able to post updates more often!
Stay Warm!
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