However the big girls and the little girls seem to be adapting to the cold weather just fine. I have installed the little girls in a fenced off area of the coop, so everyone can get acquainted. They have their own food, water and roost and everyone can see each other through the wire mesh. Sometime after the first of the year we will open up the fencing to allow them to mingle.
 |
| The big girls enjoying their winter dust bath and hanging out at the basement window. |
The new roost for the big girls is working out well. Plenty of ventilation, but also protected from cold winds in the back corner of the coop. You can see the photos of this again here. We do not add any extra light or heat lamps for them. Our climate is pretty temperate and it does not usually stay below zero for more than a few days. Another reason I choose not to add light in the Winter is because chickens are bred to lay a lot of eggs and in the Winter starting with the molt, they take a break in order to focus on growing back their feathers and it gives them a well deserved rest to prepare for the next laying season.
Today, I discovered that Pepper, my Dominique...my favorite girl (shhhhh don't tell the others)....started laying again a few days ago! I found these in the nest area today:
It is a good thing it has been cold!
Yay, Pepper!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment