Saturday, February 20, 2010

CHICKENS











The chickens are tired of winter. When they saw snow for the first time, they were not pleased and wouldn’t step in it for anything.

Now, after weeks of winter a little snow doesn’t stop them from the migration to their dust baths in front of the shed. There are two Golden Campines, one Brown Leghorn, two Auraucanas and a Partridge Rock Bantam rooster. Not in the photo is a tiny white Japanese bantam hen who has very short legs and doesn’t always make the hike. She hangs back calculating whether the merits of the trip are worth the effort.

The chickens keep to the paths usually to avoid the deep snow. For a while they were mystified by the paths that lead to the barns and up to the house. At first they could not figure out how the paths worked and how they could get to the destination they wanted and would try to fly over piles of snow in the way leaving snow angels behind.
The wild turkeys with their long legs have no such problems.