Eagerly Awaiting Spring

 After three snow storms last week, spring seemed to have arrived overnight on Saturday.  I am becoming a true Northerner - although it was only plus three degrees yesterday, I sat outside for a bit, basking in the sun in shorts and a t-shirt, watching the chickens explore a new enclosure I made for them.  The key component was that there was no wind so it was quite nice. I need to modify some things on the chicken enclosure, but the chickens don't care. It is intended to be dismantled and moved around the yard to ensure the chickens can always enjoy a grassy area. I plan on building a permanent, secure outdoor area for them with free access in and out of the henhouse sometime this summer, between other projects and this will give them outdoor access right away.

Using the enclosure is a learning process for all of us. For now, I set it up on the only area where there was no snow on the grass. Outside the henhouse is unfamiliar territory for the chickens and they still need time to figure out how to get back home at the end of the day.  I carry each chicken and put her in the enclosure after egg laying is done and at the end of the day it is Teaka's job to get the chickens out of the area (the enclosure is only 24” high). Teaka understands the command “get the chicken” and does well. The chickens are disoriented right now with all the snow and with not knowing where home is so they are just running all over the place in a bit of a panic with Teaka and me chasing after them. On day 2 Gem seemed to know where the henhouse was but was afraid to go through a deep puddle of water to get there. Gem seems to be the smartest chicken and a bit of a leader.  Once a rooster comes he will lead the chickens home and call for them to follow when he leads.

Unfortunately, the cold weather hardy breed of chicken I was hoping to introduce to the flock, along with a rooster, is not available until August and this will not allow time enough for the young chickens to acclimatize to the new environment before winter.  I will order them next January to ensure an early arrival.  In the mean time I will pick up a few more Isa Brown breed chickens from a different hatchery as I think it is important to have a few more chickens to keep each other warm in the winter.