This morning when I woke up and looked at the thermometer, it was 5 degrees below 0. That’s cold. The hens live in uninsulated coops with concrete floors padded in pine shavings. The bedding is not the “deep litter” system that (when done right, but only if done right) generates heat like an active compost pile. The only tiny bit of man-made heat in the barns comes from the electric water heaters, which, if you touch them, don’t feel warm at all when it’s in the single digits. Still, they do keep the water from freezing.

Despite this deep freeze, the girls were fine. Just fine! They did not turn into chicken popsicles overnight. In the morning, Grand Dame Buffy claimed the spot in the sun. That’s quite a feather coat that she has fluffed up.

I gave the old girls an extra handful of scratch corn and hulled sunflower seeds. They could do with the added calories on such a cold day. Greens are always a boost, so yesterday I gave them some fresh kale.

The Gems, in their sunny, dry, well-ventilated, clean, barn didn’t show any signs that the temperature had dipped so low. They didn’t require special care, but they lucked out;  I forgetfully left my stash of butternut squash in the garage, where it froze, which ruined it for cooking –  but not for the hens who were happy for something to do as the ground is frozen solid and no good for scratching in.

The goats, with their thick fur, don’t mind this weather, although somehow they managed to convince me that extra hay in their bellies would keep them even more comfy. It’s hard to say no to the boys.

So, for those of you who are skeptical when I tell you that hens do fine in bitter cold temperatures, without electric heaters, this is proof.

Eggs, though, do freeze and burst, so I’ll be going out to check for them a few times during the day. Winter eggs are too precious to let them crack (and become inedible to all but the dogs.) I’ll have to bundle up, coat, gloves, and insulated boots. I don’t do half as well in the cold as the chickens do.

For more about winter care of chickens, read my FAQ.

As much as holding the dinosaur chicken was a thrill, seeing others with poultry in arms was also fun. The most inspiring place to see chickens being handled was at the showmanship competitions for the youth.

These children don’t just show their birds; they dote on them.

This girl’s rooster loves to be cradled in her arms and have his belly rubbed.

I think that the “fancy” (as the world of bird shows is called) is in good hands!

When I do school visits I bring my picture book, Tillie Lays an Egg, a hen, and feathers. At the end of the program, I encourage the children to write and illustrate their own stories about chickens. I tell them that the chickens in their story don’t have to look like mine, that chickens come in all shapes and colors. I tell them that chickens can be black, yellow, blue or white, speckled or striped, with glossy feathers, or feathers that look like fur.

They take me at my word.

I wish that I could bring all of the children to a poultry show. What would they draw afters seeing this Ancona pullet?

I tell the children that chicken legs can be any color – grey, yellow, red, black. Now that I’ve been to the poultry show, I’ll add spotted to that list. I can’t wait to see what the children draw after my next visit!

PS I’ll be doing a storytime at the Concord Public Library on March 16. Please come!

A poultry show as large as the Northeastern Poultry Congress always contains surprises. I’ve gone for years, and yet each visit yields at least one stop-me-in-my tracks, oh my gosh, what is that? moment.

I’m sure that most of you have read about the recent research that points to feathered dinosaurs. In fact, this article says that certain dinosaurs had feathers colored like a Speckled Hamburg!

Some modern day chickens look more dinosaur-like than others. This Red Pyle Modern Game cockerel has an ancient look about him. But, he still looks mostly chicken.

But, this guy looks all dinosaur to me.

This young cockerel (hatched in May) is a Malay, which is a very old breed that originated in Southeast Asia. Mature, a Malay rooster stands 3 feet tall.

He looks like a fellow not to mess around with.

But, luckily, I met his breeder, Vlad, who handles and trains his show birds, and says that although his Malays will chase cats off of the property, that they are sweeties with people. I was walking around the show with a group of folks who read my blog, and Vlad let everyone pet this phenomenal bird.

And then I got to hold him.

I held a dinosaur.