Chicken Pics

 Chief Crazy Feather

 The chickens got brave and ventured into the snow on day 3.

 Big chicken tracks and little song bird tracks

 Matthew

 Chief and Nicholas have finally become brave enough to join the flock.  They no longer hide in the coop.  Their crows are so unique and often make me laugh. Nicholas sounds like a wolf howling at the moon.  Chief never seems to finish his crow.... as if he's always interrupted mid-crow.

Homemade Flock Blocks

Flock Blocks are expensive seed blocks sold at feed stores.  Chickens peck at the hard blocks of seeds keeping them entertained... which is a plus when the weather is cold and nasty.  I made a huge batch of homemade flock blocks right after Christmas using things from my pantry and freezer. 

I ground up a few loaves of bread that turned out way to dense, a pureed butternut squash that was too old and dry for me to want to eat, cranberries I've had in the freezer for years, sunflower seeds, millet, chicken scratch, and a few eggs to bind it all together.

I pressed it into pans and baked it in a low oven for a long time.  I made big holes in the mix before I baked it hoping I'd be able to hang up the blocks for the chickens.

I think all of the bread crumbs made the blocks too flexible and a lot of them broke when I tried to turn them out of the pan.  I wrapped and froze all but one so I could save them for colder weather.

The colder weather has arrived and judging by how quickly they attack the blocks, I think the chickens like them.

They're Not Snow Chickens

I've been out to check on the chickens a few times today and they've let me know that they are NOT snow chickens.  They haven't set foot in the snow and don't seem to care to.  They are enjoying the covered portion of their run and spending more time in their coop.   

I took some treats out to them and they were very appreciative.  My roosters were very talkative. You can hear the new roosters (Nicholas and Chief Crazy Feather) crowing from inside the coop. 

The plastic is working perfectly and the sleet that has been coming down at an impressive clip has stayed outside of the plastic.  The sleet hitting the metal roof creates a racket though.

See? Nice and dry, wind-protected run.  It still may be cold outside but they don't seem to mind that part.

As long as they don't have to go out into the snow and there are occasional treat visits, they don't mind this weather. 

Preparing The Chickens For The Winter Storm

With Winter Storm Jonas breathing down our necks, I wanted to get the chickens ready.  We have plenty of chicken feed and bringing them water isn't a problem.  The thing I worried about is driving sleet, freezing rain, and snow.  They have an over-hang roof in their run but the wind would bring the snow and ice right into the run.  

 Luckily we had some leftover plastic that I stapled to the frame.  I was able to wrap the door while allowing it to be opened and closed.

 This side faces north and it will block the worst of the winds.

 When I ran out of clear plastic, I had to use this ugly garden plastic.  It's not much to look at but it will give them a lot of protection during the next few days.

 Now they have an outside space that is protected on three sides.

 The roosters didn't like the sound of my staple gun and kept the girls back but as soon as I'd finished, they ran over to check out the new plastic.

I'll be checking on the chickens often during the storm but I think they'll be fine now.

Here are a few bonus chicken pictures I took today.

 This is what happens when I walk near the chicken coop.  I get mobbed because they're hoping I've brought kitchen scraps or maybe I'll toss them some scratch or sunflower seed.

 Here's Sterling, our Silver Leghorn rooster.

 Formerly "Einstein", this white Polish hen is now named Phyllis Diller.

 My only Barred Rock hen.

We got our second Easter Egger egg today! Another beautiful, pale green/blue.

January Chicken Happenings

 The chickens were fascinated by our Christmas tree.  They've spent the past few weeks climbing on it, pooping on it, crowing from it, and resting on it.

 These two gals are my Easter Eggers.  "Luna" is the gray and brown one on the left and "Fluffy" is my fuzzy cheeked one on the right.

 Foghorn and Matthew are co-captains of the flock.  I was surprised Matthew didn't tip over the bird bath when he jumped up.

 We're getting just a few million eggs each day.

 These two handsome roosters joined our flock this weekend.  Since I hope to raise our own chicks in the future, I'd like to introduce some darker brown eggs into our flock.  These two are Copper Marans roosters and carry the gene for very dark brown eggs.
 The guy in the front is a Black Copper Marans who has crazy feathers around his neck.  We've named him Chief Crazy Feather.
His brother is a Blue Copper Marans and his name is Nicholas.
So far they've been very calm and gentle.

 They're slowly getting brave enough to go exploring.

 I was so glad that they went right into the coop at bedtime and my roosters didn't fuss about having them join the crew at night (there have been a few minor fights in the mornings).

Look at what I found in the coop this morning! One of our Easter Eggers finally laid her first egg.  It's a beautiful blue/green.  I hope we will be getting a lot of these in the future!

Pictures By Charlotte