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California Rains & Wet Hens

22 December 2010

Oh Yukk! The hens’ run is a mess! We’ve had light rain for seven days straight and the ground is saturated. Most of the run is covered with lucite panels but the ground is soaked. Poor hens are walking around in mud. They’ve been using their ladder more than usual to get up off the ground. Don filled some of the holes created by dust bathing in the run to try to get it to drain off but it is still quite mucky. I spread a bit of alfalfa around this afternoon to soak up some moisture.

Rain has obscured the view of the Pacific

Chickens are incredible resistant to weather. While I am complaining about a little steady rain, back East the chickens are wading around in snow. In cold climates many people raise only chickens (like our Wyandottes) that have smaller curly combs on top of their heads (called rose combs). Smaller combs mean that less comb is exposed to the  freezing temperatures in the winter. I’ve seen a few of our hens tuck their heads under their wings to sleep. Kind of like pulling blackout shades, warming your comb, and warming the air you breath all at the same time. Clever girls!

Local wild turkeys are soaked in the rain

Our California wild turkey neighbors have found a vacant lot to hang out in. At least our hens have a cute little henhouse to hide in should the weather get worse.

Wishing you all a happy, joyful, and festive holiday! May your tootsies stay warm and dry.

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4 Comments to “California Rains & Wet Hens”

  1. MaryannDecember 23, 2010 at 12:01 pm

    Hi Lee,
    You’re getting the rain, we’re getting the snow. I enjoy your blog and cam, it reinforces my experiences here on the east coast. I’ve only had the chickens going on two years and it’s such a delight. It’s a comfort hearing from more expertise owners as yourself.

    P.S. thanks for letting me know that my camera was down. I’m on a different network in my house so I never know if the camera on the blog is working or not. It should be back up…take a peek.

    Best wishes to you and your family for a happy and safe holiday.

  2. LeeDecember 25, 2010 at 10:30 am

    Hi Maryann. Yes, it’s working great now! The hens look fabulous. If anyone reading this would like to look in on Maryann’s Cape Cod Buff Orpingtons who live contentedly in a beautiful henhouse and outdoor run surrounded by snow, take a peak: http://www.coopcam.rawlus.com. Merry Christmas and many blessing to you all.

  3. AmyDecember 25, 2010 at 3:37 pm

    Do you have your entire run covered? Or just a portion?

    I only have a portion of my run covered. Thinking that we have nicer weather more often than bad weather in Sunnyvale. But today is just breaking my heart for them. It’s pouring and very wet out in their run. -Amy

  4. LeeDecember 26, 2010 at 6:35 am

    Hi Amy,
    Love your website. Aren’t our hens clever?
    We have about 2/3 of our run covered and it has always been stayed fairly dry. Yesterday, Christmas Day, it poured all day (rare in Cambria). The ground is saturated and even the covered part is flooded. Like you, it broke my heart to see four of the hens standing in water. The two Wyandottes moved inside to the roosts, but the others were just wading around outside. Today, the husband and I are going to create a ditch along the upper side of the run to see if we can get the water that is draining from higher ground to bypass the coop. I’ll tell the girls that this is only temporary and they’ll soon be dust bathing like before.
    Thanks for checking in!
    Lee

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