Winterizing the Coop

Tuesday I finally managed to get the chicken coop 

ready for winter.

I had already put the heated waterer in the coop, 

but I hadn't managed to get the plastic sheeting up.

With a deep freeze forecasted for today and tomorrow, 

it was important to get the run covered.

I left some areas open to offer some ventilation,

and to allow the chickens to see out.

If there is a bad storm forecasted or some seriously cold weather,

I'll cover up these areas temporarily.

I only have 2 chickens left, 

so they don't have the ability to generate as much warmth

as, say, 10 chickens.

This is the only pullet I have left from the 4 I ordered online.

She ended up pecking her fellow pullet coop mate to death.

It seems that my Jersey Giant hen was preventing 

the two pullets from getting to the food.

I've named this pullet Donner.

As in the Donner Party. 

I'm not going to bother with any more baby chicks.

I'm just waiting for April to roll around so I can head out to the Poultry Swap

and grab some more pullets ready for the coop.

The Blizzard of 2016

 So this happened this weekend.

 30"+ of snow dumped down on us Friday night and all day Saturday.

And Sunday we began digging out.

 Not only digging out the cars and sidewalks, 

but more importantly digging out a potty area for the dogs.

 We're on our second day off of school

and I've been fortunate enough to be able to work from home.

Of course, I'd be working less if I was at the office

simply because I've been working on chores around the house.

I've finished the painting in the kitchen 

and will soon have the painting done in the laundry room.

Things are coming along nicely. 

The chickens are fine over on the homestead,

and my my emergency preparedness came in handy

when we needed plastic sheeting

 to cover the attic vents when we discovered snow in the attic.

Now we're just staying warm inside.

Calm Before the Storm

Not sure if you've heard, 

but there's a big snow storm bearing down on the East Coast.

Snow totals keep changing,

I'm expecting to measure snow in feet.

This morning on the way to work,

the sky was red and I thought of that old mariner's rhyme

"Red sky at night, sailors delight,

red sky at morning, sailors take warning"

It's been all about preparing these last few days.

I've pulled out my hand crank weather radio, 

washed blankets

and stocked up on bread milk and toilet paper.

Last night was all about prepping the chickens.

I finished covering the run in plastic sheeting

to prevent it from filling with snow

and to offer protection from the winds.

The food and water were filled and the

coop was cleaned and filled with shavings and straw.

I also put straw in the run to offer something to scratch around in and some insulation.

They have 3 suet blocks for added calorie intact and sunflower seeds.

I also hung a cabbage to offer a boredom buster.

Hopefully all these preparations ensure the girls will be safe and secure

through the storm.  

Giant Eggs and Clipped Wings

I had a busy evening last night.  I've been having a chicken dilemma recently.  We set up a temporary run area to keep the girls contained and hopefully safer from predators.  Problem was, they were all flying out of the run.  So I opted to clip their wings.
You'll have to imagine my husbands face when I told him that's what we would be doing tonight.  He was slightly concerned that clipping wings was more involved than it actually was.  I wasn't able to get any photos of the task because it takes two people to complete the job.  My husband held the hen while I pulled out her wings one at a time and clipped her primary flight feathers.  Don't worry, it doesn't hurt, they don't bleed and the feather will eventually grow back.  I'm hoping this fixes the flying the coop/run problem and they stay where I want them.  This is especially important because there was a hawk flying around the neighbor's field.  Apparently the girls were smart enough to know to stick close when they heard the unmistakable screeching.  So the girls are grounded and the coop has been cleaned and prepared for colder weather.  We also grabbed a dozen eggs and found two extra extra large eggs.  I'm certain they will be double yolkers.  The egg carton was actually for extra large eggs, but these were too big for the carton!  Love my Jersey Giant hen!

Prepping the Coop

In preparation for the coming cold snap and wind chills, I had to get the hens taken care of.  I raked out the old straw and filled the coop with fresh warm straw.  Their feed was filled and they got a few special treats: a suet cake, a head of cabbage and some seed to scratch for.  Hopefully that will help them with their boredom and keep them warmed up.

Sometimes Winter Sucks

 

It's cold,

it's windy

and I'm ready for Spring.

Photo Challenge

#6 Shopping- 

not that I got much accomplished 

since I had both Big E and the Brat child with me.

Neither one is keen on shopping.

#7 Bright. 

No explanation needed

#8 Ornament-

This is my flying pig ornament.

The pig is actually an example of Scherenschnitte

which in German literally translates to "scissors cut".

It's the art of cutting paper into decorative designs.

#9 Something You're Reading-

Picked this up at REI (my new favorite store)

in order to learn some things for the big hike in October.

#10 Wrapping Paper

#11 Green

#12 A Beautiful Sight

Our church Christmas tree-

not only is it beautiful, but so are the handstitched Chrismons

and the fact that the Brat Child was so thrilled to help in the decorating.

Feelin Hot Hot Hot

I got the new electric chicken water heater

set up just in time last night.

Our high temperature today is in the 20's.

That's Fahrenheit.

It seems to be doing its job

and keeping the water from freezing.

 

Fall Chickens

 The girls were out and about for a bit this evening.

They were thoroughly enjoying the piles of compost 

that were heaped in the garden.
Nothing makes these hens happier than a nicely aged manure.

 They haven't been allowed to roam as often or as long as usual

because my mom saw the big fat fox sitting by the coop.

 I spent the last nice weekend getting the coop ready for winter.

Basically that means a good cleaning and

covering the run in plastic sheeting.

We get a lot of wind on the hill and the plastic gives the girls protection from that.

It also helps keep out moisture.

I leave the door uncovered for ventilation.

When the inside door from the coop to the run is left open during the day, 

there's a nice flow of air through there that is usually enough.

But if more ventilation is needed, 

the plastic allows me to cut holes where needed. 

 We did discover an area where the local fox seems to be digging.

The hens were scratching around on the inside, 

but the area of missing grass outside leads me to believe something is trying to work its way in.

I never did anything about burying wire under ground and up until now, it hasn't been an issue.

So my brother put a stake in the area,

and I found a scrap piece of chicken wire and some large rocks

to completely block it off.

There are some make shift barriers around the perimeter now

that will hopefully keep the hens safe until spring

when I do what I knew I should have done in the first place

and bury some wire to prevent things from digging under the coop.

Is It Spring Yet?

This is the garden from just 2 days ago.

Luckily the temperatures have been near or above 60 degrees

and most of the snow is gone.

Of course tomorrow is supposed to be 31 degrees

but at least there's no snow.

All the warmer weather and the sight of grass greening up

and crocus and daffodils popping up

had me dreaming of the veggie garden.

So I placed an order.  

Big E better be ready to get dirty, 

there's going to be a lot of planting going on.

What's Up?

This may come as a shock, 

but we got more snow.

Luckily, we didn't receive the 8-12" they were predicting, though 

we did manage another 4-6" with a visit from the polar vortex.

I'm so glad he came back to visit.

It just really seems like Spring is never coming

and we'll be stranded in this perpetual winter.

Then the chickens started laying eggs regularly.

So eventually I guess we'll start thawing out.

Let's hope it's soon.

All this winter had me in a real snit.

Stress didn't help either.

But I'm still trying to work on resolutions

even though it seems like a wasted cause.

I heard someone say that there's still 10 months to work on resolutions.

I thought that was a ludicrous statement,

but it's true.

There's nothing that say you must make good on them by the end of February.

So on that note I've managed to achieve the following:

Paying off credit card debt

Breaking through the weight plateau I was stuck at

(though I'm not exercising enough yet or eating perfectly healthy)

We managed a couple of family nights/times and need to get that on a regular basis

We managed 1 date night and need to get that on a regular schedule too!

I've been a little better about eating habits. There's been more salad and less crap.

More water and tea and less soda.

These are all positive things, and I'm working with renewed fervor to get more accomplished.

Today Lent begins and as a child I always tried to "give something up" for Lent.

This year I'm deciding to give up bad carbs/stress eating.

Might seem more like a diet than a Lent offering,

but I really, really rely on stress eating to make me feel better.

Except I don't feel better because I get upset that I ate whatever I ate

and then I need to eat something else from the stress of eating something bad.

So, I'm giving up my crutch, my comfort 

and forcing myself to be healthier and work through things in a healthier way.

Blizzard of 2014

This past Wednesday into Thursday we had a significant snow storm.

A snow storm is marginally better than an ice storm.

The hens were all snug in their coop

though certainly not happy about being cooped up again.

Luckily we have a snowblower and child labor.

Inside we resorted to playing Monopoly that should be called

The Game That Will Not End.

 Jake was passed out.

It was tough for a puppy to jump around 24" of snow.

Luckily we were prepared for potential power outages.

We had our fridge stocked with esstentials

(Like Helluva Good French Onion Dip and Potato Chips)

and we had water stored

and wood.

But never lost power.

Prepping Fail

Tuesday into Wednesday 

we had an ice storm.

It was gorgeous

except for the snapping tree branches that sounded like gunfire,

the exploding transformers

that rendered the area electricity free,

and the fact that the ice prevented the water from draining away from the barn

requiring us to dig a drainage ditch.

 In addition,

I did not prepare at all for the lack of electricity.

We had no water

and no heat.

I had not bothered to fill the tubs,

did not have a store of water

and all the wood was wet and outside.

Note to self: start stocking up on water and wood.

Chickens in a Row

It's so cold, all 5 hens finally roosted together

(trust me, there's 5 there I just couldn't get the ones on the end in the shot).

It's good to have your chickens in a row,

but unfortunately chickens and ducks are nothing alike.

State of the Resolutions Address

I think the Arctic temperatures have everything bound up.
Like icy constipation.
Frozen pipes.

I broke another chicken waterer this morning

and I'm tired of having to keep the chickens locked up.

They aren't too happy about that either.

The dark cold snowy night treks to the coop are getting old too.

This guy is staying (like there was ever a doubt he would).

Ended up naming him Jake.

So exactly what have I managed to do as far as resolutions?

I did get groceries for the office so I won't be needing to eat out this week during work.

And what I got is salad items and celery and hummus for snacking.

So I'm improving in those couple of things.

I have not exercised. 

I did pin a couple of exercise items to Pinterest

(I don't think that counts).

I downloaded a meditation app on my iPhone

that seems like a pretty good one actually.

I haven't used it yet.

I did get rid of 2 trash bags full of toys from my son's room.

And I donated some unneeded blankets

and some shirts.

So, it's obvious I need to kick it up a notch.

 But I'm guessing I'll be doing more procrastinating

by playing with this cutie and taking 50 million instagram photos of him.

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night...

Yesterday we had yet another snow storm.

I get that it's winter

and snow isn't so unusual for our area

but the past couple of years have been relatively snow and cold free.

Anyway, it snowed.

I have no idea how much 

because the wind was blowing and drifting.

Some areas had grass showing other's were nearly to my knee

as I walked out to check on the girls. 

They were locked up tight earlier in the evening

but I couldn't remember if I had counted to make sure

all 5 were up in the coop when I locked them in.

So to save myself from worry, I went to check.

They were all roosting and more than a little irritated with the intrusion.

I try to think about the fact that there's only 56 days and 22 hours until spring.

(It can't get here fast enough)

Updates: Resolutions, Warm Chickens and an Abandonded Puppy

As far as resolutions go,  

I haven't followed through with any of them yet.  

This makes me ticked off with myself and 

that hopefully means a renewed desire to get back to the plan.  

While many might think resolutions as a waste of time, 

the ones I made were items I wanted to work on to improve my life.  

So by not doing them,

I'm not improving anything 

and I'm staying in this stagnant pool and that is no longer acceptable.  

Stress, however, has a way of waylaying your best intentions.  

(of course the healthier eating and exercise will help with stress so I should just shut up and get to it)

In other news, 

the chickens lived through the Great Polar Vortex of 2014.

Not that I was overly concerned.

The biggest problem was breaking the waterer.

This Spring I'll be thinking up some other ideas for that

(someone I know uses a 5 gallon bucket, that would make things easier most of the year- 

less cleaning and fill ups)

The big news is that Big E and I found a puppy.

He's featured in the video above barking- halfheartedly- at the chickens

(if one of those hens came towards him he'd be hiding behind my legs).

(Finally had time to do a full cleaning of the coop between cold fronts and rain/snow showers)

We found him this past Sunday

along a rural dirt road.

He was nearly hit by another car.

We have, of course, sent word to the 2 area SPCA's 

and posted an ad in the local paper.

No one has called.

We also contacted the only 2 houses in the area and neither families know the dog.

That leads me to believe that he was dumped there on the country road 

in the winter.

Because if I lost a puppy I'd be frantic looking for him

since he can't protect himself from other animals 

and has not yet learned about the dangers of cars.

Both SPCA's agree that he's most likely a dump.

I can't believe this myself because he's such a good puppy.
Since Sunday we have had NO accidents in the house or crate.

He hasn't chewed up the pillow he sleeps on in the crate either

(my lab Bailey would have devoured it 30 seconds after being locked up).

So for now, while we search for potential owners who might be looking for him,

he's staying.

We're calling him Clyde.

PSA: If you have an unwanted animal, DO NOT dump them on the street, release them into the woods or dump them in a stream.  There are places that will take them in- like a humane society or SPCA.  Many have overnight holding cages. 

Chilly Chickens

 So far, this winter had dumped snow, ice and sub zero temperatures

on us.

The girls have been tucked in 

with plenty of bedding and a run

protected from the wind.

We made it through the last batch of cold temps,

tonight it's a low of -1.

Windchill of -10.

That's cold.

Hoping the girls get through this okay too.

More Winter Weather

The girls have been cozy in their coop this winter.

We've already had a couple of snow storms

and some unseasonably cold weather

and while they aren't particularly thrilled about being

cooped up

they've been nice and cozy.

But we have some weather headed our way at the end of the week

that has me worried.  

Thursday night has a low of 11*

and Friday has a high of only 16* and a low of 5*.

The girls have never experienced such cold before.

So my New Year's Day will include some cleaning of the coop

and filling it with straw.

I hate winter.

Enough Already

We've had some snow,

some ice,

some more snow...

and just when I thought we could get a reprieve

(and I could go out and replace the vehicle that got totaled 

in the above mentioned snow and ice)

we're getting more snow.

I'm ready for the Spring