It’s Still Winter but…

Chickens, Eggs, Gardening, Herbs, Reflections,

We have had very spring-like weather this week – so much so that I did some work in the garden. As far a I can remember this is the earliest in the year that I have worked in the garden.

Thyme

After pruning last year’s dead foliage off some of the plants and raking dead leaves from their winter resting place I discover that the thyme is growing green leaves

Oregano

as is the oregano

Sage

and the sage.

It’s not only the herbs that are coming back to life. I also spotted dandelions, winter cress and some other UIP’s (unidentified invasive plants) which means that before long the weeding will commence.

In addition to my work in the prayer garden my husband fluffed up the straw mulch in the garlic bed in order to assist the shoots that are beginning to emerge from the ground. We also raked out the straw that was blanketing the strawberry bed and discovered bright green leaves forming on the strawberry plants.

The chickens have been loving this weather. They spend most of their days out scratching and pecking finding bugs and grubs and bits of green vegetation. They did however think that seeing me or walking towards their coop was their cue to fall in line.

Others came running to greet me.

I didn’t have any treats or table scraps for them but they were satisfied when I scattered some scratch on the ground for them.

I then went on to gather eggs – a full dozen that day. 🙂

We have come a long way since December when we were getting one egg every three or four days. In November our flock went through a late season molt. I didn’t take any pictures of the molting hens because they looked so pitiful with their half naked bodies and new feathers poking though their skin that I felt sorry for them. Molting takes so much energy from the hens that they stop laying during that time. It was some time in early January when egg production gradually began to pick up again.

In December, for first time in 5 or 6 years, I ran out of eggs. Thankfully in the spring of 2020 my sister and her husband started their own flock and by fall their hens were laying well. Chickens don’t molt their first year so they did not experience the egg drought like we did.

It was strange a strange feeling, and we had a good laugh, the day I called my sister and asked “do you have eggs?” The tables had turned. For many years she had been calling me every couple weeks and asking “do you have eggs?” I couldn’t have been happier when she replied “how many do you want.” 🙂

It is time to consider adding to our flock so that our egg supply will continue through this upcoming winter. Perhaps rather than buy chicks we will allow a hen or two to brood some chicks. I’ll let you know what we decide.

Have you been experiencing spring weather?

21 thoughts on “It’s Still Winter but…”

  1. I’m glad to hear that you have your eggs back.
    The photo of the chicken running towards you made me laugh. They knew something good was about to happen to them.
    The one with all the chickens “in line” looked to me as if they were going on a school trip. Sightseeing.

    It’s been getting warmer over here, which I am pleased about.

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    1. It would have been even funnier if the picture would have been taken from behind me as they were all following me as I walked toward the coop. This way you can see the anticipation though.
      Good to hear you are warming up too.

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  2. Love this Blog! Spring is just around the corner and your story gives hope. Love your chickens.
    Our crocus and tulips are getting big. Other plants are growing also. Enjoy your Spring.

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  4. Spring fever here too. I’m do happy to see the mail order flower bulbs I ordered all seem to be coming up. The crocuses are blooming. And my bleeding heart I brought from Michigan is peeking up. There are alot of daffodils blooming in the fields and woods. It makes me wonder about the history. Did long ago settlers plant them or are they truly a wildflower? Some day I will do some research, for now I will enjoy seeing color see splashed throughout the mountains again.

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    1. We don’t have any blossoms yet things are just getting green. We have some daffodils that come up in the woods between us and the neighbor. I suspect they got there because that is the area where the neighbors dump their yard waste.

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  5. I didn’t know chickens didn’t lay eggs in conjunction with their molting. When I had pet birds, they went through an ordeal with ever molt. They wouldn’t talk or sing and were listless as well. That Spring weather gave us Spring fever, but Monday night will be freezing rain – ugh.

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      1. I was liking Winter until February when we had the two snowstorms and the Polar Vortex, but I can also remember Winters that lasted from November through early April, with a lot of snow, so we did lucky out in that respect. Hope we don’t get that freezing rain they predicting for tonight/overnight.

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  7. Such a wonderfully colourful flock! We’ve had a few warm days here, but not enough to even think about getting into the garden. It’s so muddy right now–poor Atlas keeps coming back in and having to submit to his paws being vigorously scrubbed!

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    1. I’m happy to hear other are having good weather too. I know that winter storms were predicted for a lot of states this weekend and was feeling a little guilty because we have had a pretty mild winter compared to what we expect in Michigan. Yum – farm fresh eggs!

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