Animals
PS....look who's pretending to love her green veggies!
(she doesn't, really.)
- Door
DoorsBy Carl Sandburg An open door says, “Come in.”A shut door says, “Who are you?”Shadows and ghosts go through shut doors.If a door is shut and you want it shut, why open it?If a door is open and you want it open, ...
- Birds' Eye Views
One of my every-afternoon chores is to gather eggs from the henhouses.And every afternoon when I open this henhouse door... it becomes a scene from the movie The Birds!A flock of starlings escapes the cold each day...eating the chicken feed in this house...
- Winter Egg Production
I have read a few articles with opinions on how to keep up winter egg production.Most suggest using a light inside the henhouse tocounteract the shortened days. I have also read that leaving a light on all nightstresses the hens. Our solution has...
- Quiet Winter Scenes
Being from Africa, Guineas are not so fond of snow and ice, and so they spend most of these days seeking shelter on the Dutch doors to the horse stalls. This was the view from the top of Bee Haven Lane yesterday after the snow ended. Off to the far right...
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Two days of clear weather, and more logs have gone up. The first floor is not quite complete...but getting a little further along each day. Eventually the inside and the outside of the logs will be stained a bit darker. A view of the front of the...
Animals
The Price of Winter
With the slightly warmer weather we've had this week,
I've been able to open the henhouse doors wide.
During the colder winter months,
I try to conserve a little warmth in the houses and either clip the doors open
at about 6 inches, or close them and open the tiny doors that I made in the bottoms
of the doors.
This helps to keep the precipitation out of the houses and
with the heat lamps on keeps the houses warmer.
Unfortunately, though, not only the chickens and guineas enjoy the protection from the elements...
but so do the starlings.
Starlings are quite the nuisance in the winter months...
eating me out of house and home
and then leaving piles of guano all over the insides of the henhouses.
Normally, I fill the chicken feeders daily...
and on most days they eat half of the food.
However, when the starlings are visiting, the feeders need filled twice daily.
(I might as well tear up cash and feed it to the starlings!)
On those days, when 50 or 60 starlings are huddling in the henhouses,
afternoon chores end up looking like a scene from the birds,
as I open the doors and a flock of birds comes flying out at me!
So, for the past week, with warmer temps, the doors have remained open....
and no starlings!
Yesterday was one of those days that kept us all in the house.
First snow then rain...
not enough to accumulate, but enough to keep these gals inside...
and amazingly, these gals as well!
With time indoors,
I was able to finish another knitting project...
Two baby hats!
PS....look who's pretending to love her green veggies!
(she doesn't, really.)
- Door
DoorsBy Carl Sandburg An open door says, “Come in.”A shut door says, “Who are you?”Shadows and ghosts go through shut doors.If a door is shut and you want it shut, why open it?If a door is open and you want it open, ...
- Birds' Eye Views
One of my every-afternoon chores is to gather eggs from the henhouses.And every afternoon when I open this henhouse door... it becomes a scene from the movie The Birds!A flock of starlings escapes the cold each day...eating the chicken feed in this house...
- Winter Egg Production
I have read a few articles with opinions on how to keep up winter egg production.Most suggest using a light inside the henhouse tocounteract the shortened days. I have also read that leaving a light on all nightstresses the hens. Our solution has...
- Quiet Winter Scenes
Being from Africa, Guineas are not so fond of snow and ice, and so they spend most of these days seeking shelter on the Dutch doors to the horse stalls. This was the view from the top of Bee Haven Lane yesterday after the snow ended. Off to the far right...
-
Two days of clear weather, and more logs have gone up. The first floor is not quite complete...but getting a little further along each day. Eventually the inside and the outside of the logs will be stained a bit darker. A view of the front of the...