At one time most people kept utility birds. They were thrifty, hardy chickens that did well scratching around a barnyard. No one went to the expense of buying feed for them. They brooded their chicks so the farmer would always have a few new birds each year. They weren’t particularly productive – I’ve read accounts that they laid only 90 eggs per year – but they were inexpensive to get and to keep.
I think that the illustrated hen is beautiful, so I quite disagree with the poem!
11° F this morning. Cold. But,it’s not too cold for chickens if you house and care for them properly.
It’s essential that hens stay active and eat throughout the day. When it’s bitter cold and the wind is blowing, the hens won’t want to go outside. They’ll stand around in their coop. This isn’t good for them. First of all, manure accumulates, and although it’s frozen, it’s still a source of lethal moisture. Coop air is dusty. Combine that with the damp, and you’ll see respiratory disease. So, scoop up the manure daily. Next, bed more deeply. This will keep them warmer (insulation from the cold seeping in from the ground) and will keep the coop drier. I like bedding that also keeps them busy. This bagged chopped hay and straw has lots of tiny tidbits in it for the hens to find. (The brand shown here is Koop Clean. I’ve written about it here.)
Here are the girls, right after I mucked out manure and added extra bedding. Note that all heads are down because they’re busy pecking and scratching!
I also toss in chopped alfalfa, good nutritionally and to encourage foraging activity. This is what it looks like in the bag:
The hens won’t eat all of it, but it mixes in fine with the bedding.
Because the hens kick up such a lot of dust, and bedding goes flying,
I elevate the waterer.
(That purple tub has sand and a cup of food-grade diatomaceous earth for winter dust bathing.)
It’s very, very cold, but the girls are fine!
For more about winter care for your backyard flock, read this FAQ and yesterday’s post.
There are wild turkeys that are clever and fast and roam the woods here in packs that even my farm dog Lily doesn’t dare tussle with.
There are the commercial white turkeys that have breasts so heavy that they can barely waddle and, truly, are dumb as doorknobs.
And then there are the heritage breeds of turkeys that are tamer than their wild cousins but still retain wiles, beauty and athleticism. I hear that they are personable. I haven’t kept turkeys. Have you? Tell me about them.
The temperature dropped 30 degrees in one day.
But these bitter cold temperatures don’t have me worried about my hens. They don’t need a heat lamp. They don’t need hot meals. They have dry, spacious and draft-free coops, with fresh water and good laying hen pellets. I keep them from getting bored by giving them things like pine branches and cabbages. Their feathers (almost 10,000 on each bird!) keep them plenty warm.
Still, they do burn more calories in the winter, so although I advise not to feed too many empty carbs in the form of scratch grains and breads, when the thermometer gets this low, you can indulge your hens with treats. I happened to have a box of multigrain cheerios languishing in the pantry. None of the humans liked them. This morning the sun didn’t shine, and the ground was hard with ice. It’s the perfect day to treat the hens.
I called the Ladies outside, but someone was blocking the door.
Once Phoebe and Twiggy came out, the others followed.
Everyone ate.
Phoebe loves this weather. Last night, as the cold front blew in with high gusts of wind, she was hopping about the pen, doing leaps of joy.
The Gems got their share of the cereal.
The goats don’t mind the cold at all, and they don’t need the extra calories! But, they got a handful of cheerios, too.
It’s supposed to stay very, very cold all week. I wonder what else is going stale in the pantry?
If you’ve been reading my blog for the last few years (who’s been with me since May 2006 when I wrote my first post?) then you know that of all of the hens that I’ve had in that time, that there were a few standout characters. Lulu was one of them. She was a Speckled Sussex. Agatha is another. Also a Speckled Sussex. In my experience, this breed is full of unique individuals. Personable, curious, and a tad different. Besides, who can resist a polka-dotted bird? But, then, I’m a bit biased towards the breed.
The poem, though, doesn’t ring true. My Speckled Sussex hens lay beige eggs, not white.
