Looking after chickens and geese in winter

When we had the snow and cold weather last year, I blogged about keeping chickens in winter. With the bitterly cold winter we’re currently having (I can't remember the last time the temperature was above freezing!) I thought it might be useful to re-visit by way of a walk through a typical day with us looking after them.

At the moment, our daily routine is as follows:

My boyf has the morning duty so he cleans out and re-fills the food feeders and de-frosts and cleans the water feeders. The water for the chickens is luke-warm and the geese is bath warm. The geese have two large buckets which we fill to the top as they like to put their heads right under the water – if the water is too cold they honk each time they duck under!

As he lets them out of their huts he can check them over to see that they all look healthy and generally OK (he does this regardless of winter!).

Through out the day we keep an eye out on all of them. Because the ground is so frosty and/or covered with snow we often throw a handful of their seed and pellet mix for them to peck at. This also helps them to keep burning energy throughout the night. The geese will never eat any treats we throw down for them, they just eye them up suspiciously, but the chickens love warm sweetcorn or spaghetti. They refuse to eat the mash so we don’t bother to try them with that anymore. We also give them small jacket potatoes which we microwave so the skins stay soft and then push them open, so they can see the potato inside and have somewhere to start pecking.

Throughout the day we also check their water frequently to check it hasn’t frozen over and change it at least once. Whilst our chickens are free to roam all day long, we do put them in their cage about an hour before bedtime. This is because with the cold weather and living in the country with fields surrounding us, we’re well aware that foxes and other predators will be looking for food.

When I’ve caged them I check their huts, making sure the straw in their nesting boxes is clean and ‘puffed up’ – when they get in for the night they can dig in to it and trap the heat in when settled. The geese simply have a ton of straw on the floor of their hut. They don’t feel the cold like chickens and are much easier to look after – we know this because they are quite happy to sit on the ground when its covered in ice and snow!


Bed time! Again, a good opportunity to look over them all and check they’re OK. Once locked up, I always do a quick double-check of the locks and that’s them all sorted for the night.


Some other tips I’ve come across and/or use:-


Shelter - Make sure they have some shelter to hide under if they aren't interested in wandering around. Ours tend to sit under their hut, which shelters them from the elements. If we can’t find them there, they are usually hidden under the large bushes at the bottom of our garden.


Vaseline – is meant to help protect a comb, wattles and ears from frostbite and is also said to trap in heat. Simply rub a layer in – of course, that’s easier said than done sometimes!


Warmth – for extra insulation you can cover the coop with old carpet and plastic sheeting (ensuring the ventilation remains clear). You could also try layering the next boxes with old newspapers or old carpet and then straw. Of course there’s always the option of an infra red lamp or even hot water bottles.


Vitamins – An extra dose of vitamins doesn’t do any harm either. I add something called rooster booster (love the name!) which is meant to help weak, lethargic or stressed birds.


Do you have any tips you'd like to share? Anything I've missed? Leave a comment and I'll add to the tips!

Sunday sort out

Why, when I'm hungover (Christmas party last night!), I thought it was a good idea to tidy up my fabric shelves, I have no idea.

Its one of those things I kept meaning to do and just hadn't got round to so enough was enough. Everything was taken off the shelves:

Meaning it had to be done!

Its amazing what you find when you have a sort out! I knew I had brought some fabric paints earlier in the year and after months of searching I finally found them. I also found some fabrics that I forgot I had. Slowly but surely I worked through them.

And now it looks all lovely and organised.

You can rest assured that this won't last :)

It was an accident

I'd told myself I wasn't buying myself any more fabric until after Christmas, specifically the sales. But really now, its not my fault if I find a sale on at M is for make, is it?

Loving the bright turquoise! Of course I have no plans (as yet!) for these, I just loved them and that's good enough for me. I'm also loving the card that was enclosed.

Get to Know : Tara Leaver

I know, I know. I'm just too keen! Remember how I said the guest blogger feature would start in January? I thought you might like one, just to get you started (and so you know what to expect!) - enjoy!

Readers - meet Tara Leaver, a mixed media artist. Tara blogs at Aquamarineart.

Tara is largely self taught, since completing a foundation course in Fine Art at Blake College in London in 2000. She has been painting and drawing since childhood, always experimenting with different techniques and materials alongside her day jobs. Moving to Brighton from London in 2008 marked a turning point for her creatively, and has led to her producing enough work to start putting it 'out there'. She continues to study the work of other artists and likes to take classes in all kinds of disciplines from silk screen printing to life drawing, all of which help to inform her work as it develops. She is fascinated by the textural effects that layering materials and paint can produce, and uses all sorts of found objects as well as papers, stamps, pens, pencils and paint glazes. She loves the idea of hidden or partly obscured elements, drawing you in as you step closer to see the details. She also uses a lot of text in her paintings; words and their different uses and meanings continually intrigue her and she likes to include them as another layer to each piece.

How long have you been creating art and how did it all begin?
Like most creative people I think, I've been drawing and painting since I was very little, so that's a good 30 odd years! There have been 'fallow' periods, where for one reason or another I haven't been doing anything creative, but I always come back to it, and this time it's for keeps!

If you can limit yourself to one, what is your favourite material to work with and why? Oooh that's difficult! The one constant is acrylic paints; I like Golden's Fluid Acrylics because they're easy to manipulate, I like the consistency and the colours come in both opaque and transparent colours. But I have so many other favourite and essential materials I can't leave them out - as my work is mixed media there are always papers, pens, pencils, stamps, stencils and other bits and bobs included, from poker chips to scrabble tiles.

Out of the work you’ve done, what has been your favourite piece to paint? Does it have a story behind it?
What a great question! I don't think I've ever been asked that before. And now I think about it, very difficult to answer! I think I'd have to say Let's Stay Together, which is one of my most recent and as something of an experiment inspired by artists like Pam Garrison, Mati Rose McDonough and Jennifer Mercede. I REALLY enjoyed the freedom of painting it; I did most of it intuitively, just trusting my colour, shape and placement choices without thinking about them too much. I think of it as a very hopeful piece, because I did it at a difficult time emotionally and the colours and sentiment make me feel uplifted. Of course if you asked me this question in a couple of months I might choose a different painting!

Who or what inspires you?
I live by the sea and I find that changes my entire outlook and allows me to access my creativity much more easily. I don't tend to paint the sea but the ever changing landscape of it, the colour and light patterns are definitely inspiring. I take my camera everywhere with me; I never know when I might see a pattern or a colour combination I like that will give me that little jolt of 'I could use that'. And there are many artists who inspire me too; apart from those named above I'd have to include Sarah Ahearn, Mae Chevrette and Scarlett Raven. Most of them are artists working in the States; they work in a very different way over there, producing work that gives me a real buzz sometimes! I really like the way Jesse Reno works too, layer upon layer. Over here in the UK I love the work local artists Maria Tribe and Dawn Stacey.

Do you have a work space or studio? How would you describe it?

Finally I have a room in my home which I can call my studio! It's a shambles at the moment but not for long as I'm getting shelves put in so I can actually get in there and paint! It's not huge but it has a big window, wooden floors and one gorgeous green wall (left by previous owners). By the time I'm done with it, everything will be to hand and easily accessible, and until then no one gets to see it!

What are your goals for the future?

Essentially to get my work 'out there' more, which is as much an exercise in developing my self confidence as it is sharing my work with the world outside my home. Here in Brighton twice a year we have something called Open Houses, where people open up their homes like miniature galleries, usually hosting several local artists of all disciplines at once, on a trail that leads all around the city. Apart from being a brilliant opportunity to snoop round other people's homes, it's also a great way to show and sell your work without paying high gallery fees - perfect if you're just starting out. I would like to do this every year, having started last year and really enjoying it. There are also a lot of cafes and restaurants here that will exhibit the work of local artists, so I'll be looking into that. On a more immediate front, I'll be working on continuing to develop my own style. I do borrow a lot from other artists - I find it's a great way to learn - but my own style is certainly coming together more than ever before. I'd also like to try some new media, such as oils.

Finally, I’m always looking for new reading material, what are your top 3 “must read” blogs?
Only three?! Well it's not painting related but definitely Tales of A Junkaholic (for Artemis' enviable creativity and talent which seeps into everything she touches, her beautiful photos and fun writing style), Alisa Burke (for her insane talent for colour, and brilliant and doable tutorials, 'how to's and recipes) and third, because there are so many others I can't choose, I will say ThxThxThx - just a little handwritten post-it note every day by a girl called Leah being thankful for something, and always something that will make you smile. Can't get enough of the good stuff I always think.

Thanks to Tara for taking part (and for being my guinea pig!). I hope you enjoyed the virtual 'get to know you", I'd love to know your thoughts. I have a mix of crafters, artists and makers lined up and I can't wait to share these with you in 2011, so watch this space!

Are you interested in taking part? You can find out more here - I'd love to hear from you!

WIP

Sometimes I just need to make or do something. Anything. Where I don't need too think too hard and I can just go with the flow. Today has been one of those days and my stamp boxes are the perfect rememdy. I just love making these!

Wordless Wednesday

Thanks Mr Postie

We've been really quite lucky not to have been hit too badly with the snow in Norfolk although the temperatues have been staying at the -1 mark (2-3 if we're lucky). Having said that, where we live the roads are pretty treacherous with ice. Last year I struggled with my old car (a focus), this year I'm finding it easier with a 4x4. This morning I indulged in a spot of (unintentional) off roading (I skidded up a slope, around a corner and up a small-ish grass verge, missing a tree) so I've decided that other than for emergencies/tending to animals/posting parcels I'm not venturing out.

So. Time for a catch up. Unlike other parts of the country our postie is still managing to visit us. Recently I was lucky enough to win a giveaway from Becky at Purple Sparkle Crafts.

I cannot begin to tell you how gorgeous the wax melts smell, divine and I will be popping those on my desk shortly (once its cleared from all the 'stuff' that keeps appearing on it...

Also in the post this morning... stamps! And lots of them.

I've become a bit obssessed with stamps! These were a good find and there's some really beautiful pictures and vibrant colours on them that I can't wait to get working with.

And a sneaky peek at something I've been working on for a Christmas present. Once its been sent/received I'll share properly!

And a couple of charity shop buys. My boyf found both of them for me.

The drawers are a bit battered but will be perfect to "do up" and I love the colours on the plate. I think that'll probably go in the living room.

I've not fully embraced Christmas yet, but I'm trying! Find this little fella on folksy!