Stacia and I feel bad for poor Dash out in the winter. This IS his third winter, and he is "weathering" it, but these cold days are troublesome. The chicken's at least have a little red bulb to heat the coop a bit.
He's always happy to see me in the morning, I'm careful to bring him some fresh treats. His water is always frozen - we need to get something fixed up to make this easier. He has a little log we've tried to insulate for him, he loves to snuggle into the log and watch the goings on in the chicken yard. I will admit he doesn't look particularly happy in this shot. More like "C'mon let's move to Hawaii!"
This batch of hens are much heartier than our previous batch. The others spent most the winter inside the coop. These have been enjoying the roofed area outside their door. BUT with a lot of snow and then cold temps...they are reluctant to venture outside. I bring them scraps every morning and a few of them will come out for the treats regardless of the weather.
First out the door every morning |
We are surprised they have not cut down on laying. This IS their first winter, they're young. I think we'll add a few young hens every year, so we don't end up with another year like last where we had no eggs all winter and spring. LOL We get 1 1/2 - 2 doz eggs a day.
Yes, I KNOW young hens lay more eggs. I DO think singing "sunshine songs" with me every morning encourages them and gives them hope that winter can't possibly last forever. I start singing to Dash and can instantly hear them jumping from the roost and rushing for the door.... then, they begin to "sing" with me. It's great fun - helps me brave the temps to change water, gather eggs and feed animals. LOL Many stopped singing when they saw the light on the camera...but here's a taste of our fun.
Michael has been caring for a mama and a late hatching chick in the garage. He tried to integrate them with the flock, and it didn't go well. We aren't quite sure what our next step is. Unfortunately, I believe this chick tried to crow at me a couple of mornings ago. We aren't 100% sure, but we may have a rooster. This complicates life. We don't need another rooster. There is sure to be murder and mayhem if we add another rooster to the coop in the middle of winter.
No comments:
Post a Comment