Chickens in a Blizzard

“Whaaaaaa?  Whaaaaaat?  Whaaaaaat?”  is what Goldi Macaroni, Stella and Leonarda the Queen wondered when they saw snow for the first time.  This is their first winter and they had just been released from their coop after being holed up for 48 hours during a blizzard with winds up to 35 mph.  I was hoping they’d have a gentler first exposure.

Despite precautions, somehow snowdrifts (shoveled out before this pic was taken) had managaged to make their way past the boards and tarp into the run.  To cover it, I used our insulated pool cover, and an additional utility tarp over that.

Goldi stepped onto the snow, thinking it would support her weight, and was flustered and embarrassed when it gave out under her feet. 

Since their foraging time was taken away, they got a little smorgasbord of leftover rice, wilted parsley and bread crumbs yesterday.   

Miss B. ran around checking things out.

This was definitely not your typical peaceful blanket of snow.  Parts of the yard were almost untouched, while other parts had thigh-high drifts.

I was amazed to find this in the nesting box.  I only get a couple a week now.   Goldi may have stopped laying until spring.  I don’t know what’s going on with Stella – not a single egg from her yet.   If only she could explain herself.

Have you had much snow in your backyard ?

And if you have chickens, how did they fare during the snowstorm?