With all the continuing rain we are having, I decided to buy another bag of wood chip to make a thicker layer in the part of the run that the girls like to hang out most. The existing wood chips were already muddy and while I know these soon will be too, I just think one bag never makes a thick enough layer.
I took my camera and took a few photos of the girls scratching together in the wood chip but decided that as I had already showed that on my last post there is little point in repeating similar photos again.
Instead as it was late afternoon it struck me how together the girls are in everything they do. My first photo of Amber in the apple tree shows the new mud busting ideas we have come up with. The new layer of wood chip is in the area on the right of the divider and the board and a few tiles are on the left of the run bordering the veg plot, where it puddles the most.
That’s the background, now for the foreground.
Amber is in the apple tree and Honey and Dotty really want to join her
Dotty has made it into the apple tree even she is too big for such a small tree
Dotty precariously balances
Amber jumps down and Bluebell takes Honey’s place on the little girls favourite log
Amber finds another perch watched closely by Honey
Dotty and Bluebell, the only two girls laying eggs at the moment, take some grit together
Meanwhile Pepper and the little girls preen together
Honey and Dotty were at the water together but as Dotty moved out of shot I decided to leave this photo of Honey as it shows how nice and red her comb has become
I just love the way the girls do everything together. It illustrates perfectly that they are flock creatures and happiest together despite some pecking order rituals at times.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
I just love that little apple tree with the girls in it ,I had not noticed that before . . Bluebell looks top heavy 🙂
I have a small pear tree the other side of my WIR and was thinking of extending the WIR down that way in the spring ..nice idea .
The apple tree was there first so just got incorporated into the run and I keep it pruned below the top of the run. The chooks loved getting into it when they were little but are getting too big for it now where as the little girls still love it. The big girls can’t be outdone and sometimes still get up there. They love anything they can perch on. No apples any more though as bees rarely get in the run to pollinate.
Sand works great for combating mud too. Unfortunately, it’s VERY heavy to haul home from the store. But just another option.
I have dug loads of sand into the run in the past but it seems to have just disappeared. I am never quite sure if it is really having any effect. We have never had this much rain before though.
I know conditions in America have been awful with lots of cold and snow so I know you have your own weather conditions to deal with and I do sympathise. I hope you are doing okay with it all.
I’m in California and close to the coast so our winter has been VERY mild. It does dip into the 30’s at night here and there. But the days warm up into the mid to high 60’s so I’m not complaining.
Our issue is that we haven’t had ANY rain. NONE. We’re already in a drought situation and if that storm door doesn’t open up soon, we’re going to be in a real world of hurt come this summer.
I wish I could send you some of ours. We have had twice the average rainfall each month for the last three months. The only up side is we said there surely won’t be any hose pipe bans in the summer!
I am glad you haven’t had the harsh conditions some people have had though.
We keep saying it has got to stop raining soon. I think it’s going to be better towards the end of this week.