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.
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!
Can we all pretend for a moment that it's October? Thanks.
As the chickens grew, I realized their run was much to small for them. They're out in the yard a good bit of the day but I didn't want them to be cramped in the mornings. Also, the younger chickens needed more space to get away from the big guys.
So, we took some leftover deer fencing, some metal t-posts, and some inexpensive chicken wire and made them an extension of their run.
We cut a small hatch in the old fence and opened it up for them. Now, the new extension isn't predator proof but it'll keep the chickens in... which is the goal. Their purple coop is predator proof and they get locked in there each night.
The chickens were so excited about the new space and grass.
It might not be pretty to look at but the added space is perfect. Now they can wait more patiently for free ranging time each day.
The chickens got their coop decorated and ready for Santa. They assure me they've all been very good chickens this year. They've asked for stockings full of sunflower seeds, kale, apples, and oatmeal.
Even though it sure doesn't feel like winter is getting closer here in NC, it's time to get the chicken coop and run ready for cold, wet weather.
The new roofing we put on their "porch"gives them a nice large area that stays dry in the rain.
The hanging buckets are their waterers. On the bottom of each bucket are water "nipples" and when the chickens peck at them, water comes out. It's been a great way to give them water because the water stays clean.
I laid down pine bark mulch under their porch roof in the run to help keep things dry. I've been really happy with how it's done. I'll add more mulch as needed this winter.
Winter means fewer bugs to chase and eat and fewer plants to munch on. Keeping the chickens happy and busy this winter will be important.
We hung this head of cabbage after reading that it's a great way to keep chickens entertained. I guess our chickens didn't read that article. They didn't seem to know what to do with it.
The apples hanging from strings, however, was a huge success! They were like apple pinatas!
I stir their bedding weekly since we use the deep bedding method. I sprinkle black oil sunflower seeds in with the bedding when I stir so the chickens scratch their bedding (looking for seeds) and help keep the pine shavings fluffy and dry.
Because the hens are staying in their run until early afternoon (so they learn to lay eggs in their nesting boxes) we had to clip their weeks a few weeks ago. They had gotten so good at flying that they were climbing onto the coop roof, walking down the porch roof, and out of the run!
So, the kids helped me clip the older hens wings one evening. We had to do it after dark when all of the hens were quiet and roosting. We only clip the feathers on one wing so it makes the hen off balance when trying to fly... therefore preventing flying as high. They can jump onto their roosts but not on the roof of the coop. The hens feel no pain during wing clipping and Evan and Charlotte proved to be perfect chicken assistants.
We've tacked up heavy duty plastic over the large screened door and the big window of the coop so the chickens will be warm when the weather turns cold. We've had to open the plastic a bit since the weather has gotten so warm.
Another entertainment idea that my chickens are not amused with... the chicken swing. The chickens are supposed to hop up on the swing and in trying to balance themselves, make the swing move. My chickens have only picked at the rope... none have tried to swing.
