We have had some serious snow this year, and last nights snow and rain added to the mess. The snow is hip deep in most places in my yard. The chicken area's are way below "snow level" as I had no place to throw the snow after i totally dug them out, so I just dug out the gates and a pathway from one pen to the others.
I couldn't get all the snow off the roofs, but I did the best I could and added extra supports. So far so good, Until last night.
I got up around 0100 to do night chores (winter thing, I feed the horses, dogs and goats small amounts during the night for warmth.) and it was RAINING! Raining on top of the 3 inches of snow we had yesterday evening, and the 4 feet of snow we had from other storms. When I checked the chicken pens I saw the roof was mostly inside the layers area, with 6 feet of snow filling most of it. I ran in, panicked that my girls were buried beneath the avalanche, but found them cramped, but safe and dry, on their roost in the corner.
So, for right now I am going to have to do some birdie moving. The bantams will be evicted from their pen and moved to the summer chick nursery. I dug it out and sort of weather proofed it for them. The layers will go in the bantam pen, which used to be theirs anyway. I'll wait until tonight when everyone goes to roost, and I can start trying to rehabilitate the layers home over the next week.
Hurry up spring!
I couldn't get all the snow off the roofs, but I did the best I could and added extra supports. So far so good, Until last night.
I got up around 0100 to do night chores (winter thing, I feed the horses, dogs and goats small amounts during the night for warmth.) and it was RAINING! Raining on top of the 3 inches of snow we had yesterday evening, and the 4 feet of snow we had from other storms. When I checked the chicken pens I saw the roof was mostly inside the layers area, with 6 feet of snow filling most of it. I ran in, panicked that my girls were buried beneath the avalanche, but found them cramped, but safe and dry, on their roost in the corner.
So, for right now I am going to have to do some birdie moving. The bantams will be evicted from their pen and moved to the summer chick nursery. I dug it out and sort of weather proofed it for them. The layers will go in the bantam pen, which used to be theirs anyway. I'll wait until tonight when everyone goes to roost, and I can start trying to rehabilitate the layers home over the next week.
Hurry up spring!
