What is the Cold Snap Doing to our Routine on the Micro-farm?

For our chickens: Well the first thing we do differently is provide oatmeal to the chickens and thaw their water dishes. We are getting electricity to the coop, but it is slow in coming. Oatmeal actually heats them up nicely in this cold weather. Chickens and life in general must have a source of clean, thawed water in the winter.


For the bunnies: we are in the process of 'show conditioning' them. This involves feeding them oats with coconut oil on them, apple cores, & black oil sunflower seeds with the hulls on. Some breeders also feed barley & a few other things. We started simply. Because they are in our garage in a triple-stacker cage, they don't need anything extra for colder weather. They are all kind of bummed out though, it is too wet to let them run in the yard. Also, Pumpkin and Winchester's coats cannot get dirty and matted before the show THIS weekend!


Winchester now weighs 6lbs12oz, Pumpkin 7lbs4oz, and Blueberry is 8lbs2oz. Ideally, our French Angoras should weigh 8lbs. All have put on weight at my house. Guess the cooking must be good. They must be at least 7lbs8oz and 6 months old to be registered with ARBA. It would be nice if Pumpkin would put on the extra 4 oz before then. Pack it on Pumpkin!


Backyard birds: In the backyard, our birds now get peanut butter coated pinecones and corn cobs, then dipped in thistle seed. We feed the same standard mix of seeds as in summer. The bluejays get whole peanuts to hide and eat. We put suet in our suet cage feeders. Birds need a source of fat for warmth and energy in the fall and winter months.


I must say, we love our winter birds. We get many more varieties in the colder months. My 14-15 regular/summer birds goes up to about 22-25 in winter. We get the black capped chickadees, white crowned sparrows, northern flickers, cedar waxwings, nuthatches, downy woodpeckers, juncos, wrens, brown creepers, and yellow-rumped warblers back. Our goldfinches are eating much more vigorously too. We all enjoy watching them flit around the backyard, busy eating and socializing. We get front row seats into their little world from our living room. They are cheerful & happy on sunny days and grateful for the food on cloudy ones .


Yes, feeding the birds costs money, and to some degree time. However, they give back to us in entertainment value. The birds also provide a source of fertilizer (nitrogen-rich poop) for plants and trees surrounding the feeders. They drop sunflower hulls, which are a source of humus & mulch for the soil underneath the feeders. The birds also control insects in our trees and plants. They are great caterpillar & aphid hunters. The goldfinches in particular are also good at foraging for seeds in our backyard. They clean up and eat many varieties of seeds on our plants, which stops them from over-running a planting bed and spreading too much.


So should you feed the birds? Yes. As many varieties as you can. They are not as messy as people think. Just plant their feeders over gardening beds or from trees at the perimeter of your property line, and they will not even poop on your patio furniture.