The snow hasn’t stopped coming. We haven’t had a thaw. Is this what it’s like to live in Hobbit-land during the winter?

This sort of weather poses challenges to the flock owner, but perhaps not what you think. This morning when Steve let the animals out (thank you for doing that chore!) it was -6° F. The cold isn’t going to directly harm the Girls. The hens are eating, drinking, active and showing no signs of cold stress (no shivering, no frostbite.)

If you’ve read my blog for any time at all, you know that three things are required to keep your hens healthy: plenty of space, sunshine and good ventilation. All of those are compromised because of the snow.

The run has been shoveled as best we can, but It’s down to a fifth of its normal area. Because the hens are crowded, I add extra bedding, and keep them from getting bored with treats in the suet feeder. My hens have good-sized coops with plenty of roosting bars. That keeps the pecking pressure reduced, as well.

The hens continue to go outside, but we’ve had far too few brightly sunny days. The piles of snow block the light that there is. And now, there’s another issue. The coop is darker than it usually is because the windows are iced over.

Interior icing is due to too much moisture in the air – it comes from the hens’ breathing and from the water in their manure. Just because the poop is frozen doesn’t mean that it’s not contributing to damp in the barn. The Little Barn has excellent ventilation. It has a working cupola. Air comes in the pop door and flows up and out through this effective vent at the roof. But, right now, that cupola is covered in snow.

Someone has to get up there, on a ladder, with a broom, and clear it off. Someone. Not me. Thanks, Steve! I suppose he can wait until the snowstorm that is coming on Monday passes by. After it dumps another foot of snow.

In the meanwhile, the temperature hovers in the single digits, but the door is open during the day.

The hens are fine with that.

It’s snowing. Again. Despite shoveling, the hens’ outdoor space has been reduced to a modest rectangle, enclosed by four-foot walls of white. Less space and dreary days can instigate pecking and feather picking amongst the girls. I’ve been proactive, trying to stave off the cabin fever that leads to bad habits.

Chickens are hard-wired to move about and forage all day. Don’t be tempted, during the cold of winter, to give them a big bowl of warm treats in the morning. They’ll gorge and then stand around. Instead, give them something interesting to do that will keep them busy for hours.

Every day, the students in Ms. Sibilia’s classroom in Florida, watch my animals. They’ve been vicariously enjoying the snow, (and asking excellent questions about the science of weather – these are model students who think!) The class decided that the critters needed a special winter treat. With great generosity, they pooled their resources and sent me a check to “help feed the animals.” With their gift in hand, I went right out to the market. I was thinking of buying a pumpkin, or maybe a big bunch of kale, but what I found was a truly special food for the hens. I only buy locally raised corn on the cob, and this time of year even imported corn is usually unavailable, but I guess that down in Georgia, someone still had a store of fresh ears. I bought four.

I have suet feeders in the coops that I use to provide treats to the Girls. The Big Barn has enough room to have one hanging from a chain. It takes effort to peck at the corn. A challenge is mentally and physically good for all animals.

I don’t recommend feeding quantities of hard, dried scratch corn to your flock. It’s too high in carbohydrates, without useful protein and minerals. But, fresh corn is another story. It’s more water than concentrated calories, and the suet feeder prevents guzzling it down too quickly. The corn distracted and engaged the hens all day. If you don’t have fresh corn cobs, the packaged frozen ears will do (I’d defrost before putting them out.)

The goats ate the husks – one of their very favorite treats.

Pip says All done. Thank you, Ms. Sibilia’s class!

If you keep pullets that hatched last springtime, then you’ve likely been enjoying their eggs all winter. Laying might have slowed down, but it shouldn’t have ceased. (You don’t even need a lightbulb in the coop for winter eggs from young chickens.)  If you have older hens, that molted this past autumn, then February is the month when they get back into lay because the molt has given them a rejuvenating break and sunlight is increasing. For some of my hens, February and March are peak laying months. But, for many hen keepers this is a time of worry. Why isn’t my hen laying? What’s wrong?

Let’s look at my chickens for an explanation of why some hens lay and others don’t. I have two flocks. They live in separate barns, but each structure has large east and south-facing windows. The chickens are fed the same feed – I use Poulin Grain laying hen pellets – supplemented with oyster shell and grit, free choice, vegetable scraps from my kitchen, and a small amount of scratch grains. I toss chopped alfalfa into the bedding. Both flocks are healthy and have been exposed to the same germs and worms. Both flocks are a mix of breeds. All molted at the end of last summer.

All six hens in the Little Barn are laying. (There’s one girl in this photo who is not making eggs, but she’s not a chicken!)

The hens don’t lay daily, but still, I’m collecting about three eggs a day.

Astoundingly, the White Leghorn, Twiggy, never did a full molt! I know this, because there were no white feathers strewn about the coop. Although in December her laying slowed to only two eggs a week, she never stopped. No wonder the modern hybrids used in industrial farms are descendants of the Leghorn.

Meanwhile, only one hen of the ten in the Big Barn is laying. Misty. The Andalusian.

What’s going on? The answer is simple. The nine hens not laying are two years older than the others. The Big Barn flock hatched in the spring of 2011; that is, all but Misty, who is the same age as the Little Barn hens – she and they hatched in the spring of 2013. She’s proof that there’s nothing different in the Big Barn other than the age of the hens. This is why farmers can’t keep older chickens, they’re not financially viable. My soon-to-be four year old hens are past their prime. Already. This is not a modern phenomena. Even a century ago laying hens were expected to be productive for only two years. With all of the backyard chicken keeping boosterism out there, this reality is glossed over. Even the major hatcheries tout that hens that will lay for up to eight years. Some hens will, but not most. This misinformation is leading to unmet expectations and misguided, poor care of backyard hens. Knowing the truth about what the future holds will make you a better hen keeper as your flock matures.

I do expect my Big Barn girls to resume laying, maybe next month. I also expect that each individual will produce fewer eggs than last year. I predict (based on 20 years of chicken keeping experience) that some will not lay at all. By the age of four, much goes wrong inside of a hen. Some can no longer form sturdy shells. Some will be diseased. Some will simply give out. But, a few individuals will keep going. I’m not a real farmer. I have enough room for a flock of productive hens and another of retirees. I’ve had hens live to be nine years old. I can keep the low producers as beloved lawn ornaments. My hens are lucky, and so am I.