What a busy weekend it has been. So much to do with maple season, growing chicks and maintaining the flock's housing during this time of snow, rain, mud, wet, and sometimes nice days all mixed together. The ducks part of the coop needs new shavings almost daily (maybe I'll try straw again and compare) but this day the whole coop needed to be cleaned out. I'd done it recently but the shavings the farm store had in were not our usual, they were so dusty and more like sawdust, just not pleasant and everything seemed to get wet sooner. So we got some other shavings and I gave it a good clean out and refresh.
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| The vinyl flooring for the coop was one of those best ever decisions, clean out is easy. |
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| I think we can put away the heated water base for the season! These do a great job keeping water unfrozen. |
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| All shoveled out. |
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| Nest boxes all clean with new shavings and a little sprinkle of nest box herbs |
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| I love a clean coop, it won't stay that way long! |
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| Grit and Calcium refilled. We put down grit in winter, snow lasts for months here preventing the chickens from getting natural grit |
I let the little chicks have an hour outdoors, in the covered run again today, they really enjoyed it. Soon they'll be running with the flock.
I noticed that this silkie has muck stuck to her feet so in for a pedicure. She didn't mind at all and is resting comfortably indoors while drying.
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| Foot bath for silkie |
The chickens and ducks are so happy with the amount of bare ground we have now. Snow is melting so fast. I know we will likely get more snow before winter is done but for today the birds had a grand time exploring, scratching and pecking playing in the mud (ducks) and lots of dust bathing. What a relief it must be for them after a long winter of snow covered ground.
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| Mo in the middle of dust bath pile. |
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| Dust bathing pig (chicken) pile |
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| Naptime for ducks. |
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| KitKat patrols his domain. |
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