January in the Hen House

 

 



Even with all the difficulties in the beginning, the Greenhouse is turning out to be a wonderful blessing!  It's given our family a time of "rest" over the winter.  The work is easier, the chickens all cozy, and us able to focus on planning for next season.  We're still busy, but winter is a great time of rest from the harder, manual labor!

 

Another blessing as been these mild January days!  There have been many days that have been above freezing, allowing the chickens time out of the greenhouse.





 



 

 

 

They sure enjoy taking dust baths and scratching through the hay we saved from last season.  The Greenhouse allows us a place to keep it dry for them.

 

 

 Electric poultry netting keeps predators away while the chickens are out of the greenhouse.  We leave the doors open on mild days so they can come and go as they please.

 Inside, the greenhouse is typically 20 degrees warmer than the outside temperature.  We joke that the chickens sometimes look like they are in a chicken spa in there...  Taking dust baths and napping in the sun that peeks through.

 Digging down to find a few nips of grass under the mulch.  We add to the mulch each week, which keeps the carbon and nitrogen ratio at appropriate levels.  You need only use your nose to tell if the nitrogen is too high.  If there is an odor, we add more mulch.  Amazingly, there is no smell in the greenhouse. 

 Some of the comfy nest boxes.  Clean nest boxes mean clean eggs.

Napping in the sun - disturbed by my camera...

 

To think of the many, many eggs our eyes have seen and hands have touched over this last year makes me dizzy and here we are with excitement over the first eggs of our first ever raised-from-day-old-chicks.  We delight over them. (Silly farmer delight) These eggs are new; these eggs are special.  We raised them every step of the way using the healthiest methods, knowing everything about them since day old chicks.

 

 I pray that I remember this excitement when we are in the middle of our hectic season this summer and it seems the chores of the day never end. Let me remember that every day is new,

every day is special.

 

The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,

 “Therefore I have hope in Him.”
Lamentations 3:22-24