Rookie chicken farmer: The first snow

January 14, 2012 by Julie @ Outtakes on the Outskirts | 8 Comments

We finally got our first real taste of winter in Ohio this week on Thursday. In true Ohio fashion, the day started out with mild, almost spring-like temperatures and then dropped below freezing that night. It’s a joke in this state that if you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes and it’ll change.

We ended up with a little more than an inch of snow, which is the most we’ve had all season. The Ladies are not happy campers about this.

This is their first encounter with a “real” snow. They’ve seen a dusting and decided then they wanted nothing to do with the white stuff. They will not walk on it or want it anywhere near their coop. Smart girls, if you ask me.

The gusty winds we’ve had over the past two days have blown some snow into their run. When I let them out this morning for breakfast, they launched into a chorus of disapproving clucks. I think they thought I had something to do with the snow because they all looked at me suspiciously. There’s nothing quite like getting the “stink” eye from six hens. I may have been cursed by a chicken, but I’m not positive.

I tried to step over them to enter the coop to feed them but was immediately stopped. I was not permitted to enter their abode before my boots were pecked clean of snow. I’m not joking. Once I passed inspection and my barn boots were snow-free, then I was granted clearance.

At least I won’t have to worry about them rushing out of the coop and catching them for a few days!

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