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Happy Hens

Our lows can still be in the 10’s and 20’s overnight, but we’ve also had highs in the 40’s and lots of rain lately.  In fact, the carpet in our basement is pulled up in one corner, and there is a fan and a dehumidifier running to try and dry things out down there  It wasn’t anything too severe like some of our friends have had; nothing that a Shop Vac couldn’t handle easily.
Our chickens are especially happy about this minor warm-up we’ve had.  As soon as there was a patch of grass near their coop, we began opening their door in case they were interested in venturing out.  I don’t know if you can tell, but their coop yard collapsed because of the amount of snow we’ve had, rendering them literally “cooped up” since mid-January.  The first day we opened the door they were so excited that one of them sprinted with flapping wings and landed in the middle of our yard.  At that time there was still a lot of snow and only about a 2×3 patch of brown grass near their coop.  We giggled as we watched her try and figure out where she was and what all that white stuff around her was, and then eventually join back with the others in the small grass patch.  These gals provide quite a bit of entertainment, I must say!
Now that there are a few more patches of grass available, and even some cleared “trails” to more grass, they venture as far as the grass will take them.  This morning as I approached the coop after my early run with a friend, they could hear me coming and started clucking like crazy ~ they couldn’t wait to be let out.
Looks like our rain will stop for a while this weekend, there will be sunshine, and the temps will be in the mid to upper 40’s.  This will surely make for some happy humans, as well.  We are itching to be let out, too!