Kitchen Garden Forum

All my hens are refusing to come out of their run - to free-range in the lovely freezing cold white stuff. They are insisting on breakfast (and lunch and tea) to be delivered by their servant..straight to the foot of their ramp

Ha! Mine did that when we had a lot of snow a few years ago. There was a very narrow pathway through the snow to the drinker (and back again!)

My hens and ducks have been out and about the field in the snow all day today. I kept them inside yesterday while it was snowing and blowing. Must be tougher than your soft southern English birds

I have three welsummers in a flock of 10. They are real primadonnas and won't go anywhere near snow, in case it messes their fine plumage I supppose. The others hens, hybrids, don't mind at all but they are beginning to look a bit scruffy.

John

Dear Alan, you are quite correct, and they also have rougher hands....

Hi OH

Remember Grock & Lizzie

Regards

Arnie

Our (literally) free range hen which roams all the gardens in the neighbourhood and roosts in a tree has been striding through the snow without any discomfort, it appears. In this weather, her only food are the pickings below the hanging bird feeders.

I do indeed, and i still haven't managed to get rid of them.

My hens have tried, not very successfully to fly from their bob hole to a covered bit of the orchard about 20 ft away without putting their feet down on the snow. One nearly made it which was quite impressive.

Wow...loved to have seen that heroic effort

Mine are still lurking in their run in spite of my having cleared a big area all around...just to prove that grass still exists.