Category: chickens

Winterizing

On By CarynIn chickens, Coop, Garden

We had a freeze coming in so I set about winterizing outside the house in 40 degree rain. It is a little different setting up for cold temperatures in Texas than up north, but there are still things that need doing. (I would take 32 degrees over forty and raining any day, though. Yuck.)

I cleaned and filled all the chicken water (three hanging, one heated) and put away the foot baths. I closed up the extra vents in the coop to prevent drafts (there are still eave vents to allow air circulation). I drained all the water hoses and put winter caps on all the outdoor faucets. I took the batteries out of the automatic waterers and stored them away in the garage. I harvested all the basil and covered the tank garden (which still has non-producing squash vines).

Stock garden before basil harvest

I washed the basil and picked through it for the nice leaves. The remainder went out to the chickens, who appreciated that I threaded it through the chicken wire in the covered run so they could pull leaves off, and did not hang it out in the rain.

Chickens tucking into basil secured to poultry wire
After the freeze, the remaining basil is starting to brown. The squash vines bloomed.

Pumpkins

On By CarynIn chickens

The annual pumpkin carve and hen feeding was another success. Rather than carve our pumpkins early and risk rot, we carve them on Halloween then take them out to the chickens the next day.

This year’s pumpkin art
Hens tucking into the fresh pumpkin

The chickens appreciate the gesture.

Ashes, ashes

On By CarynIn chickens

Our area has been on a burn ban for about five months because of drought conditions. One of the smaller consequences of this is that I have not been able to make ash for the chicken’s dust bath. They dug down the area inside their tire well below the base of the tire, bathing in the scratched up dirt and carrying it off in their feathers, but I didn’t have the means to refill.

My folks visited and the RV park where they stayed had metal fire pits. Fire pits with stacks of Post Oak wood piled up near by. Fire pits that hadn’t been cleaned out in a long time, so were full of hardwood ash. Jackpot. I hauled off a garbage bag full of ash to put in the hens’ dust bath.

Empty dust bath, bag of ash, container of DE

I mixed the ash with diatomaceous earth (DE) and dirt inside the tire, and stirred it with a stick.

Filled dust bath

I wasn’t able to entirely fill the tire, but it is a sight better than the negative value of dust bathing material that was in there before. My chickens tend to eat chunks of charcoal when I give them new ash, turning their droppings black. I need to remember not to panic when I see that again. It has been awhile.

Fun with pumpkin

On By CarynIn chickens

Rather than halve the pumpkin for the chickens like I usually do, I had a little fun carving a simple face. I was going for an appalled look. I ran a gimlet through the stem, then used a bamboo stick with the tip split to thread cotton twine through and make a loop to hang up the pumpkin.

Carved pumpkin with hole through the stem made by a gimlet (pictured in process)
Installation of the carved pumpkin in the chicken runs
Pumpkin picked at by hens, Day 1
Pumpkin picked at by hens, Day 2

Portrait mode

On By CarynIn chickens

Today you get a snap of Seashell in portrait mode. Yes, I followed the chickens around the run. Yes, I aimed my phone along their back and waited for them to look at me in askance. My chickens are very calm and put up with my shenanigans. Mostly.

Seashell the hatchery quality Faverolle hen

Seashell is definitely not show worthy, nor should she ever be part of a breeding program, but she is my healthiest and best groomed hen. I like her color too, even though it is non-standard.