It’s snowy. The wind is biting cold. I’ve been bringing frozen waterers inside and carrying fresh water out. It gets dark too early. I’ve been whining (or whingeing as my British friends say.) Complaining is fun for awhile, but then it gets boring. It’s only the beginning of January, for goodness’ sake! I decided to turn my attitude around. Nothing like a walk with Lily Dog to get me to see the world differently. She lets me know that snow is meant for snuffling and galloping through. It’s exciting.
There’s a path near my house named Two Rod Trail. It’s been there since before the Revolutionary War. In fact, the Minute Men marched down it to the infamous bridge in Concord where some say the war started. It’s name comes from the fact that it is two rods wide. The stone walls are still there. But now, instead of fields on either side, there are woods. Perfect places for little animals to live. Someone besides us was also out and about yesterday.
I imagine the pitter-pattering tiny feet, the furry belly dragging in the snow, the tail marking a fine line behind. I’m not a tracker, and my Guide to Nature in Winter doesn’t give me a definitive answer. I can imagine all sorts of voles and field mice making their way through the snow. Beatrix Potter would have dressed them prettily. It’s nice to imagine them curled up and warm in a bed of leaves under those old stone walls.
You’re in your town with a lot of snow and I’m in my town with a lot of heat. I live in Santos, Sao Paulo. It’s summer and our city is the sea and beach. The heat is very great. Do not complain about the cold I’ll stop complaining about the heat, OK?
Okay! Actually, heat is much harder on chickens than the cold. My chickens aren’t complaining at all :)
Ok….where *are* you? I am a reenactor, and always do Battle Road, among other events. Mostly I know about Concord, of course, and the details of what happened between Hartwell and the Bridge and back again having never actually done the battle further east than East Lexington.
A number of years ago, a photographer was taking photos of my kids and blanket at the Bloody Angle reenactment (ok, this happened continually, everyone always photographed my kids…small kids in colonial clothing are camera bait) …imagine my surprise when I was looking through a Cobblestones Magazine and there, in the same issue there were a couple of boys from my kids’ fife and drum Corps, there was also a photo of my blanket and gourd canteens! Not the kids, just the stuff. Weird!
Many, MANY, years ago, following a huge blizzard, I went out on my son’s snowshoes walking through the woods surrounding the house on Wolf Rock Road. Had a great time looking at the little footprints of rodents and birds and admiring the patterns made on the snow by blowing leaves. I turned around and there was another pattern superimposed on the snowshoe tracks. My Siamese cat was carefully following along behind! Ahhh, winter in Carlisle. I miss it — and I don’t!
P.S. I always wondered about that term – Two Rod. I walked the trail, or possibly another one, in April 1976 going to Concord to watch the parade. A misty, cool morning accompanied by fifes and drums and then military helicopters pounding overhead as the president arrived.
The other thing I like about the snow in the woods is the quiet. It’s so peacefull, the snow absorbs all “outside” noise and all you hear is the crunchy noise of your shoes in the snow.
I added two 250 watt bulbs to my 8 x 12 coop and was very pleased last night when the water was completly ice free with temps in the teens all day and then this morning only a little ice was forming around the top edge of the pan. It was a -1 here last night. I feel better knowing my hens were in tolerable temps. Another miseable night with a forcasted -2 and wind chills of -25 to -35.
I might add that we had 4 inches of snow yesterday and I think that helps insulate the coop. There is the four inches on the roof and then I piled up snow around all four sides. My coop is about 6 inches off the ground.
Its my first visit to your blog. I love it.
I don’t have chickens yet, but am trying to convince my son that they are needed. Its his house, I just have the separate granny apt. So far I’ve convinced him to put in raised veggie beds last spring. This next bit is a little harder.
In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy your life with your flock.
Thanks for giving us all such good advice and a peek at chickens.
Thanks quitlbea. Hope this site helps you convince your family to get hens!