Snow has arrived in Belwood!

Hello Faithful Followers and welcome new followers too!

Temperatures dropped in our small part of Southern Ontario and hit minus 5 celsius - not bad for a start but we know it will become much colder still than this in a few more weeks.

We set about adding additional straw and bedding to the chicken coop to keep them warm during the cold nights but freezing water troughs has been a constant annoyance!  If the "girls" don't drink enough then egg production slows down - so several trips daily to break off the ice and pour warm water onto the water station .... and I was ready to scream! luckily our neighbour gave us his water heater to use and a bigger trough too so the girls and Mother Hen are happy again!

Egg production has slowed a little as temperatures have dropped and the girls are scratching around less in the snow - but I'm still collecting around 7 or 8 eggs each day - some double yokers and most extra-large sizes!  Their diet now consists of two bowls of layers mash per day and a bowl of flax seeds with oatmeal daily; on the weekends they get a bowl of sweetcorn and chick-peas too! No wonder they lay the best eggs!

My husband has taken pity on the girls and the current weather and has decided to build them an extension so they can still scratch around in the dirt but be protected from the snow and ice!  Watch this space for pictures of the extension in the coming days!

Home improvements!

This weekend the weather turned chilly and the girls had an extension to their coop! The coop, being a first attempt, requires some adaptations and the attic space is a little small for nesting, roosting and scratching in all at the same time!  But to be fair I did tell my hubby we'd be getting 6 chickens and that turned into 11, so not really his fault.

Today we protected the lower sides of the coop with clear plastic wrapping - this enables light but also provides protection from the wind and rain.  It will also stop the feed trays from becoming water-logged and soggy.

Then we bought 168' of chicken fencing and created a fenced in yard all around the coop which the girls have absolutely loved all day! They have foraged through leaves, fallen tree branches and explored the surrounding areas to the coop .... so much more fun.  In fact they've been so busy today that only 3 of them stopped long enough to lay eggs!!

I am learning their favourite foods - which right now (apart from the layers pellets they get every day) they love a pumpkin, a bowl of oats and a real treat is whole flax seeds ... yes these girls are spoilt rotten!!  Tomorrow I will try them with some corn and see how that goes down.

I baked with the eggs today and was very surprised how bright yellow the yolks were! Some of the eggs are jumbo size with double yolks and others are on the small side ... but all taste yummy scrummy!

That's all for now - check back later for more news.
Mother Hen