Leopold doesn't mind the cold, but he can't take the bitter cold. He spent most of January in the coop, refusing to come out until late last week when the temp finally got over 15F. I was happy to see him outside and surprised at how much he had grown.
I looked at his comb and feet for signs of frostbite but didn't see any. He is a handsome fellow and much larger than the girls.
They all came outside to enjoy the sun while it was "warmer". I put down the straw from the sheep's feed "sleep" bowl as they wouldn't eat from it anymore. The chickens and Guineas loved rooting about in the hay.
The hay kept the chickens feet warmer than the snow, notice the "The snow makes my feet cold!" pose.
Even when Leopold stays inside I can lure the girls out with daily rations of pasta and yogurt or sour cream. Note the girl on the right with sour cream all over her head.
The temps dropped back to -2F today so the chickens and Guineas are back to staying warm in the coop, but it can't be too long before "warmer" weather returns.
It has been so cold hasn't it. Your chickens are lovely. I can't wait until I have some of my own. Have a great rest of the week.
ReplyDeletedang. cold tootsies!
ReplyDeleteBMKW - The Winter has been very cold this year, can't wait for Spring. The snow will stay through March but the temps should begin to go up by the end of Feb.
ReplyDeleteChook - Well said. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Mine got out for a whole 2 days in January, plus one of the roosters has a blackened comb. It doesn't seem to bother him though.
ReplyDeleteThey all look great! I'm glad you haven't had any troubles with them, we've been getting bouts of cold this year too, below -10 F at one point. Thankfully it's staying around zero now. I agree temps should go up by the end of Feb, so this nasty cold shouldn't stay too much longer :)
ReplyDeletei feel so sorry for you guys i would hate for it to be that cold here! i hope it gets warmer soon.
ReplyDeleteOooh...sour cream? They'll eat sour cream? I'll have to try that!
ReplyDeleteLove the frozen foot posture your hens have going on in the snow. I totally do this, too.
Ian - You probably know this but the black is frost bite damage. I am told that Vaseline prevents it, haven't tried it yet.
ReplyDeleteLuckyBunny - At -10 I'm surprised that anything goes out side, let alone chickens.
Periwinkle - Thanks but the cold is what we signed up for living in NE MN. I like to think we get used to it, but the negative teens or more really makes it hard.
Farmgirl - You will see runway models using the "chicken pose" in the future, its all that and more! These chickens don't eat sour cream, the wolf it down without tasting it.