Chicken Bath

It's been an unusually mild winter here, the say. El Nino has seen to that. And yet, the months of snow and cold have stretched out as slowly as they can. I'm just impatient, that's all. 

In the Fall we prepared a place in the shed (make that, set up a huge cage that takes all the space in our shed) for the Hens. I didn't want them to have to endure the ferocity of winter in their Little Yellow Hen House and I knew that the amount of snowfall would make it difficult / impossible to access them. So, into the shed they went. We made it as comfortable as we could. Straw bales, roosts, heated waterer, nesting spaces. We got mats for the floor so their little toes wouldn't freeze on the cold concrete and put a heater in there to raise the temperature just a little, - oh, and a thermometer to check the temperature in there several times a day. (We're just a teeny bit doting).

Well, it worked! The chickens have survived! They've thrived! On the less cold days, we open the shed door to let in sunlight and fresh air. Two of them, Dolly and Henrietta moulted in the Fall, and stopped laying. They took a well-deserved break and in January as daylight increased they started laying again. Good little Hens! We love our fresh eggs every day! And one thing we know they love is their bath! A wheelbarrow containing sand, ash and diatomaceous earth serves as their favourite entertainment and essential grooming station. The dust flies as three contented Hens enjoy splashing about. It's funny, when one Hen goes in, they all pile in together. I just sit there, on the garden chair, and smile at them.