Bitterly Cold Winter Claims Lives And Rekindles Renovation Plans At Daigle Farm

As our first winter at the cabin begins to wind down (I realize it's only February), I begin to think about the modifications I want to make to the chicken yard and also what breeds of chickens I want to add to the flock this year. This winter we lost the porcelain pullet, the female snowy duck, the buff Japanese banty rooster, and one of the big red roosters. This brings the body count up to nine since we began keeping birds.

Last summer I began drafting up plans for an expansion of the chicken yard to include more square footage using the existing fencing and a second coup using boards that had I hoped to procure from the local dump. Unfortunately, scrapping up enough boards from the dump to complete the proposed project turned out to be prohibitively slow, and the project was put on hiatus. This summer I hope to revive the effort and expand the operation to house more chickens more comfortably and hopefully reduce the mortality rate. Enhancements to the existing coup include:

• Insulating the walls
• Adding more ventilation for the summer
• Constructing a separate enclosure for ducks (they're messy)
• Installing a heat lamp
• Installing a sign over the door that says "Manure Happens"
  

One problem that I would like to address this year is with the height of the protective netting over the yard. The fencing around the yard is just under five feet tall. In the summer, the chickens are shielded from airborne predators (ravens, field hawks, and bald eagles) by bird netting that is run from the top of the fencing and covers the entire yard. This means that I have to stoop when I enter the yard for feeding or socializing (I enjoy spending time with my chickens). Being limited to the height of the fencing, I will have to devise a way of raising the "ceiling" of the yard to a height that allows me to stand upright while still thwarting death from above.

While all of my birds are well suited to survive in subzero temperatures, egg production completely stops when the temperature drops. I'm hoping that some insulation and a source of heat may promote another month of two of laying.

The new coup will house another twenty or so chickens. I'm also hoping to have a little storage room for feed and implements, if possible.

As for new birds, I'm anxious to see if any of the standard sized hens begin laying eggs this spring. Last year they had a pretty light yield, with most of them not laying any eggs at all. I'm not sure of their age since I got them second hand, so some of them may just be "retired". With any luck, I should also be getting some snowy duck and albino pigeon eggs. To really build up the flock, I'll be purchasing some eggs and incubating them with an incubator borrowed from Kim's father (he raises chickens and many other birds too).