Chicken Update

We have had some unseasonable warm weather for December. The other day the temps were near 50 so I took advantage of that and went out and cleaned out the chicken house. The girls now have fresh straw in the house, nesting boxes and run. They were so excited. I even had one immediately go in and make herself comfy in the box. I am glad to have that project crossed off the list. Hopefully they will be good to go now until Spring. I usually clean out the house fully every few months, and every couple weeks I toss some new straw in on top of the old. Weekly the straw gets fluffed up with a pitch fork and any large clumps get removed. There really isn't that much maintenance.

The girls must be really happy because they have been laying like crazy. I added a heat lamp a few weeks ago and since then they have really picked up the egg production. I thought using a red bulb wouldn't make that much of a difference but it really has. They went from laying 2-4 eggs a day to laying 6-8 eggs a day.

As long as there is no snow on the ground the girls have been roaming freely during the days.This is nice because when they can get out and graze they eat less grain. Of course every time they see me or the kids outside they run up to us looking for a snack. They know we are usually good for some sort of treat.