Hand Fed Hens

We really do love our chickens.  The chicks are all doing well, so today we went to the barn to spend some much needed quality time with the big girls.  My darling returned on Friday after a week long business trip, so the girls haven't gotten much quality time lately.  I was spread thin and just covered the basics of keeping the boys, dogs, chicks and hens going for one more week.  Of course the "basics" included cleaning out the coops, so they were not ignored by any estimation.

Today we let them out to range, hand fed a few to check their weight and feather condition, and watched as they took dust baths.  It was good to see that they all still prefer to eat from our hands rather than scratch in the dirt and enjoy swinging with us in the porch swing (or maybe they are terrified of jumping off while it is moving ....  hmm).

It's spring time in the mountains and that means days full of sunshine and snow.  Yes, they can both happen together and often do.  In fact, my darling and I have just returned after I suddenly got really chilled and the hens put themselves up.  Now I know why they went back into the coop so easily.  It was getting ready to snow.  It snowed for about 15 minutes, large, beautiful flakes and now the sun has returned.  

I looking forward to spending more time at the barn with the girls.  I find their clucking to be relaxing.  Each of the birds has her own unique personality.  Some truly are "Mother Hens" and sit on the nests all the time (broody hens ...) while others like my little white Americauna have the most delightful attitude.  I thought she was going to peck the camera lens.  However, now that I'm thinking about it I think she was telling me that she could do it better.  Typical of her.