I’m jealous! Is the chicken house under all that snow :eek:
No, the chicken house is butted right up against our house and the overhang of our roof keeps most of the snow off their house. We just have to constantly shovel out a path to their front door. And after several decades of dealing with the snow, I'll give it to you for free!
 
That balcony/walkway is very handy. Do you ever let them have full use of the yard?
Yes, when it's actually navigable, and they love it. They eat tons of grass, all the raspberries they can reach off the bushes, and every grasshopper that dares cross their path. I wish they would eat ants, tough. Is there a reason they won't eat ants?
 
Yes, when it's actually navigable, and they love it. They eat tons of grass, all the raspberries they can reach off the bushes, and every grasshopper that dares cross their path. I wish they would eat ants, tough. Is there a reason they won't eat ants?

Mine don't eat ant's neither. The ant's do try to eat them, though. I lost a batch of chick's in my grow out pen a couple year's back to the ant's. I'm always on the lookout for any anthill's I find now, and they are in my cross-hair's. Last year a rat snake got in and got 2 chick's in the grow out pen. I got the snake, and the vulture's enjoyed him or her.
 
Hi! Thanks for asking.
She seemed spunky at first, and then her body language seemed slightly off. She was outside a nest box, so I brought her in where it’s nice and warm and I can see what she produces. She’s doing normal nesting/egg-laying stuff, but hasn’t passed an egg yet.
:hugs :fl:hugs
Sorry you took a bit of a beating over there. I respect you for standing by what you believe in. As you know, I’ve been trying to focus on flock wellness instead of illness. However, sometimes they still need intervention. I’m still a bit uncertain and confused, but once I make a decision, I’ll see it through. I’ve been paralyzed by worry and indecisiveness in the past with my birds, and that really didn’t help anything.
Did a help thread spontaneously errupt somewhere again? Is there a spot we should be following along that I missed a link to? We all have our opinions, but in the end all really just want to see what’s best for the birds. There’s just very different regulations, standards, and resources available to each of us. :hugs
And :hugsfor @Shadrach too, though I know he’s probably fine. Opinionated people tend to either develop thick skins or learn to shut up and silently judge people instead (joking!!! But kinda true)
 
@goldenfingers If I was to look out my door and seen all of that white stuff down here, I'd be thinking that someone done stole my yard! :gig
And if I were to look out my door and see all that white c*** I’d be booking a flight to visit @BlueBaby @WhoDatChick or anyone else in the southern states! Or maybe Australia if @Ribh has finally gotten her reno finished :p ;)
 
That balcony/walkway is very handy. Do you ever let them have full use of the yard?
This is Maryanne out for a stroll in the snow.

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Uhh... A little help here?! Up to her fluffy butt in snow and still can't touch the bottom. :lau

So we resort to carrying them through the house to the sunny side, where the reflected sun melts a small strip of snow to reveal the dirt.

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It's better than nothing! ;)
 
While we're all waiting with keen anticipation for news of Bob's integration and others' health issues, I had a minute and thought I might give you a bit of personal background. I grew up and have lived my entire life in a suburban setting. I've always felt like I would be happier in a rural setting (or at least a small town) with some space and some animals, so when a job opportunity arose a few years ago, we moved to a smaller town. I'm still in a sub-divided neighborhood, but there is a different feel about it, so I've made some progress. Last year, April 13, to be exact, we took the plunge and got 3 baby chick from the farm store. My wife's boss, who has about 30 chickens, told us we had to get these specific chicks from this specific store. So we came home with 3 hybrid production chicks. As we were leaving the store, the guy asked us if 3 was really all we wanted, what with chicken math and all. We wondered what the term "chicken math" even meant (almost a year later, I am quite aware of what it means... don't get me started :gig) We quickly got attached to them, and them to us.

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We named them after the 3 female characters from a television program we watched as kids, Gilligan's Island. That would be Maryanne, Ginger, and Mrs. Howell.

Knowing basically nothing about how to keep chickens, we bought a prefab coop, enclosed off an 8' by 10' run area under our backyard deck, and connected them with a short tunnel.

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Surprisingly, this setup has worked much better than anticipated. They only use the prefab to sleep, so it fits 3 just fine.

Anyway, that's probably enough for now. Suffice it to say that we still have them, and we are still enjoying the experience. Although I do have to say that I'm envious of all you with your green grass and large spaces. We are definitely true backyard chicken keepers and our yard is small. Here's what the backyard looks like right now. keep in mind that the picket fence it 3 feet tall.

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Cheers to all!
Awww... thanks for sharing the background! Looks like a great set up! And I love the napping chicks pic.
 

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