Cold Weather Chickens

The chickens seem to be tolerating the colder weather. They are as eager as ever to leave the coop in the mornings—especially if it has rained the night before. At night they huddle together on the perch sharing body heat, and puff out their feathers to create pockets of warm air and increase insulation. Last week when the temperature dropped into the 20’s their water fount froze but there was no notable difference in the hens’ behavior. Most mornings find them on the perch in the coop calling to be let out and that particular morning was no different. They didn’t seem to feel the cold at all.

The first question from visitors to the coop is often “what will you do with the chickens in the winter?” I’ve consulted a few books on the subject, the best being Fresh-Air Poultry Houses by Dr. Prince T. Woods, and, even though some authors suggest a heat lamp for the henhouse when temperatures are below freezing, the consensus seems to be that the hens can tolerate the cold pretty well, especially in a climate such as ours. Their down feathers provide great insulation, and the benefits from the fresh air outweigh the risk of exposure to the cold.

We’re actually more worried in the summer when temperature can soar into the high 90’s; chickens are much less tolerant of the heat than they are the cold. Our henhouse is very well ventilated with an open ceiling (except for the hardware cloth) and several ventilation holes on the sides. Of course, the coop is totally ventilated with only hardware cloth for walls and the hens have free access to the run everyday.

We are still getting 3-4 eggs daily from our 4 hens, so we don’t feel the need to extend their day by adding a light to the henhouse. We probably won’t install a heat lamp either as our days are rarely, if ever, below freezing, and we can always buy a heated poultry fount to keep them in fresh water.

New Beginnings

Today marks the beginning of my last week of employment, which is bittersweet for me. I have spent the last eleven and a half years working in a variety of roles for a management psychology practice; although I’ve never officially had a title, perhaps “Jack of all Trades” would be most appropriate. I have developed relationships with some wonderful people within several client companies who I will miss interacting with. I’ll also miss the challenges they have presented.

My decision to leave can be put simply as unhappiness, to the point of having difficulty getting up and out the door each morning and having little patience, and in some cases respect, for the people I work with. This has been building over a number of years and began to affect my mental health and my life in general. So, after many discussions with my ever supportive husband, it was obvious that I needed to either accept that I would likely never be happy at work or make a change. I decided to make a change and follow my dream. It was hard to let go—we get so attached to what is familiar in our lives regardless of whether it is good for us or not; it is often the unknown that scares us.

Beginning next week I embark on a new journey. I will be spending my days in my studio instead of an office. I am equally excited and anxious… well, maybe a bit more excited. This has, after all, been my dream for a long time, and I am lucky to have wonderfully supportive friends and family who encourage and believe in me. I’ll blog about my adventure as I go and will post my website once it’s built.

Wish me luck!

Talking Turkey

This past September I tried to order a pasture-raised heritage turkey for our Thanksgiving meal, only to find that I was too late. Disappointed, I put myself on a waiting list at Nature’s Harmony Farm in Elberton, GA in the hopes that someone would fail to pick up their order. Alas, this didn’t happen. So, off to the supermarket I went to buy a frozen turkey just like everyone else. Photo credit: Curt Gibbs, ExperienceLA, Flickr

A few days after Thanksgiving I received an email from Nature’s Harmony announcing that they were taking orders for next year; I
immediately put down a deposit. Next year I’ll be serving a beautiful and delicious heritage turkey to my family and friends. At $7.00 per pound they are not cheap, but, even though it will hurt my bank account, a healthy, cruelty-free, pasture-raised, naturally reproducing turkey is “priceless” to me.

Wait, “naturally reproducing?” “Don’t all turkey reproduce naturally?” The answer is an unequivocal “No.” Turkeys sold at the supermarket—mainly the Broad Breasted White—no longer reproduce on their own and depend upon humans for artificial insemination. They have been bred by industrial agriculture to develop faster and produce more breast meat. Their large breast, coupled with the fact that they have shorter legs than standard breed turkeys, can make it impossible to stand, let alone climb atop a female for the act of perpetuating the species. I find this very disheartening and a bit scary. Maybe one day soon I’ll have the courage to follow in the footsteps of Novella Carpenter and raise a heritage turkey of my own, but I’m not quite there yet.

If you are interested in having a heritage turkey grace your table next year, go to Local Harvest to find a farm near you.