If you haven't heard already, the UK is experiencing 'The Beast From the East'. That is, a freezing weather front whipping in across the North Sea from Siberia and, damn, it's COLD. At the moment I'm not letting my chickens out into the garden a lot - not due to the weather, but due to the fox. All this cold weather is making the foxes very hungry and I'm seeing them in the garden earlier and earlier in the evening. Until I get my guinea fowl, I don't want to take chances!
I'm always amazed, however, just how hardy poultry can be. It's safe to say they're not keen on the weather, but I think the prefer this extreme to the other end of the heat scale. With a warm belly of fermented corn, a draft free and dry roost to get into if required, they seem pretty happy to go about their business. I'm even getting quite a lot of eggs still...and the silkies are laying like mad!
Before navigating the icy roads this morning, I got a few quick pictures. I keep my roosters in overnight boxes and when I open them in the morning, they normally rush down the garden to their respective coops and wait by the doors until I let them in with the ladies. Not so this morning - they stood in the doorway waiting for me to carry them down. Daft things.
Some of the hardiest things I've EVER kept are Coturnix quail. If you can get them through the first few weeks, when every chick seems intent on killing itself, they last forever. They're outside all year and though they do have somewhere to escape the drafts, they almost always just sit in the rain or snow. I have a mix of birds, but the white Texas A&M breed are particularly nice in the snow - they almost look as if they've grown a white winter coat especially.
The freeze is expected to continue. In fact, we weren't even due snow last night...the worst is set to arrive on Friday. I'm afraid it HAS taken some toll in my garden: I've lost my beautiful Echium already. But, as far as the poultry are concerned, they seem happy as ever.
Thanks for reading!
Geoff
