Chickens Dusting Under The Flatbed Trailer

   Morgan and I found the chickens under the trailer bed again dusting in the relatively dry dirt. Well, at least it was dryer than the surrounding ground. Some chickens tried laying out in the sun which didn't work out all that well because of the clouds passing in front of the sun blocking the rays. (That Dark Brahma really doesn't look happy.) The hens are not happy staying inside because things are finally getting wet and messy. The pine I put down in the pen is muddy and needs changing as soon as it stops raining for a long spell. Maybe Saturday I can rake it out?

   Some of the hens are sleeping in the nest boxes and leaving chicken poo presents. I read that you should cover the boxes after they lay and you shouldn't let your chickens sleep in the nest boxes because then they poo and it can get on the eggs. Well, I wanted the chickens to sleep in the nest boxes when it got cold and snowy so they could keep warm. So, what to do? Well, I could get myself together in the morning and out to the coop and clean out the nest boxes before they lay. Yep! I think that's what I'm going to need to do.

   While looking around for information about nest boxes, instead I found chicken and feed housing information here (Range Poultry Housing - pdf) and here (Pastured Poultry - pdf.)

   Ah, Ha! Nest Box info Here I finally found some good information about nest boxes. I'm going to have to remodel the inside of the coop and move and rebuild the communal nest boxes I built last year. This all sounds much better. Then maybe the hens will not poo in the boxes anymore?

   Morgan went to the groomer this week and still looks white and clean even though she has been running around in the muddy leaves. I think she licks herself clean like a cat at night. I know she licks her paws.

   Missy at Little Messy Missy has passed on an award to Chickens On The Porch. Thank you Missy and I really  appreciate you thinking of my blog. Instead of me picking out blogs that I read to pass the award to, what I would like to do is ask those bloggers who would like to accept the award to hop on over to Missy's blog here and pick up the award. All the blogs I read are certainly worthy!

[6 eggs today]

The hens laid 5 early and 1 in the afternoon.

Peek at the Past

(February 12, 2009)
Wow! I remember those trees where sooo pretty.

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Smiles

Lost And Found

Oops! I pressed the wrong key and published before I wrote anything. There was some blue sky for a bit today so I let Morgan and the chickens out to run around. I gave the hens a head of lettuce on the porch and enjoyed watching them chow down. Morgan came inside for her snack. The chickens stuck around the porch for about an hour and then vanished. Morgan was gone too.

I went out to try and find the chickens in hopes that the reason they were out of sight didn't have anything to do with the fox. Morgan was in the back barking at something. I walked around and finally heard and then spotted a chicken, then another one and then I saw that most of them (10+) were under the trailer taking dust baths. The hens are pretty smart. They found some dry dirt under the plastic covered trailer and a warm protected place to laze about.

I tried out the Auto setting and was able to capture a good photo of the hens shaking their feathers dusting that was OK. The chickens were very happy under there where there was no wind, it was warm and dry and where Morgan didn't run through the middle of them and watch them scatter.

I am way behind making comments and even reading blogs. I do check and moderate my comments a couple of times a day, but I've been under the weather and sleeping a lot. I hope to feel better and catch up tomorrow. Thank you for your comments!

[2 eggs today]

Smiles

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