Weather...And The Chickies

I talked to Little Brother last night. He lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, one of the spots that have been hit hard this winter -- it was 40 degrees yesterday, which he called a "heat wave." They haven't seen it that warm since the first part of January.
     The snow on his deck is now up to mid-thigh...and more was coming in.

Sort of like this poor guy...
    (Commentary here, in case you're curious. It's in Brooklyn, by the way.)

I went outside today, and looked around...dry as a bone here in my neck of Colorado. In fact, it almost feels like spring -- lots of wind, warmish air, and green sprouts popping up here and there. Unfortunately, same sprouts are promptly gobbled down by the chickens. 

     The little stinkers are doing fine. They haven't laid as many eggs in the past few weeks -- only 7-10 daily, for a flock of fifteen. But that's not bad, considering we've had so much wind. Chickens HATE wind far more than cold or heat -- it ruffles their feathers and puts them on edge.
     I had a breakthrough -- one of the Rhode Island Reds actually allowed me to pet her! Normally, the Reds hiss and cackle, and make it sound like I'm awful. (Well, I am stealing their kids...) Maybe she was just in a good mood -- who knows.
     We're feeding them crumble (adjusted for egg-laying), cracked corn...and today they got a third of a birthday cake, plus a heel of pumpkin bread thrown in. They loved it.
     Storm clouds are rolling in...we're actually supposed to get some long-overdue rain. Guess I'll sprinkle some mealworms out, and give them an extra thrill.

Hand over that supper, and no one gets hurt! (And stop petting me. Now.)