When I came home from work yesterday, all the chickens were standing on the back mudroom porch. It wasn't raining and it wasn't snowing, so I was very confused by their behavior. Then... I figured it out. They were hungry little hens! They tried to follow me right into the mudroom (where they "know" we keep bird feed- which is one of their favorite treats after human scraps.) We were out of bird feed so I went to the kitchen to look for scraps. I admit, I was too lazy (and way too over dressed) to get them some chicken feed from their coop. I also knew Farmer J would be home soon and would do afternoon chores. In the kitchen, I found some of their favorite snacks: leftover mac and cheese, crusts from PB&J sandwiches and leftover oatmeal. Our hens love sharing a farm with a family with young children!
Since Farmer J set up a light (on a timer) in the coop, put a heater in the coop and set-up the heated water dish, the hens have been much happier and have started laying eggs again. In the course of three days, we got TWO eggs! On a typical summer day, we get 10 eggs. I think its very obvious that chickens, like most of us, dislike the short days and long nights. Thankfully, tomorrow is the winter solstice and from that day forward... each day will bring us more and more sunlight (even if it is only by a few minutes at first).
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