Update: I didn’t hear back about that extension and couldn’t get a hold of anybody to ask, so the chickens are going into the basement this weekendAt least they’ll be out of the snow.
These are adorable! They look like they’re posing, all proud of themselves! Thank you for sharing, I needed the laugh
Haha. Believe me, I'm dying to do that and more, but I just don't want any more trouble. It's been war for half a year now, and they play dirty, so I just want it to be over. I don't want to give them any reason to call anybody else on me.
The following morning, the snow was still there, so I watched through my chicken cam to see what they'd do when the auto door opened. They took turns standing in the doorway looking out and weighing their options, then going right back in After a few rounds cycling in and out like that, they decided to go out. Went straight for the sheltered side and hung out there all day. By then it had dried up enough that they could dust-bathe happily in a sunny spot. In the evening they all went in no problem. The snow is gone now, but they still take a moment to stand in the doorway and take a really good look around before coming out in the morning! That's new - they used to always rush and fly out right away. I'm pleased though - they seem to be adapting to winter better than I expected. I thought the day after the snowstorm they wouldn't come out at all, given that it was in the 20s and still lots of snow on the ground, but they did.
I will scatter hay or straw on top of the snow and they go right out. Crazy birds!Update: the chickens are getting used to the snow faster than I thought they would. On the day it snowed, we got 7 inches of accumulation, and while the area I set up for them was dry and sheltered, they still had to cross through snow to get to the coop. I was worried they may not want to go in at bedtime - it was getting dark and they were standing at the edge of the snow looking displeased, refusing to step in it. So I went in the run and carried two of them across and put them in the pop door. By the time I went to grab a third, all the remaining chickens said "no thanks, we got it!" and went in all on their own!
Yeah, I was gonna do lots of things, I just didn't expect snow in October so I hadn't stocked up on hay or straw or anything like that! All I had was some pine shavings, and I did lay down a whole bunch, just didn't have enough to cover the whole area. I'll go get more winter supplies soon.
I know - we got about 7” as well. So many things I was going to do. So now after snow and single-digit temps, we’re back in the 60’s and 70’s this week.
We don't usually get snow until January, so that was a total surprise. At least I picked everything from the garden beforehand, but I forgot to harvest my flowers and now they're all shriveled up. And I had a ton. Oh well.
