Hen Chronicles: When the weather ain't fit for man or beast

Sometimes, you have to bend the rules because they don’t really apply to the situation at hand. This is one of those times.

As most everyone knows, we’re in the midst of a blizzard in the Northeast. The snow didn’t start to fall here in central Maine until 6 a.m. or so, but it’s piling up fast, and creating deep drifts as heavy winds blow it around.

It’s a day that isn’t fit for man or beast.

And that includes chickens.

Although I covered the top of the chicken pen with a tarp last night, I figured I could leave the sides uncovered until this morning. Big mistake. By the time I went out to release and feed “the girls” at 7 a.m., a light coating of snow blanketed the ground in the pen. I quickly added tarps to the sides of the pen, and I placed the feed and water bowls in their usual locations. But the hens said no way no how. Not only did they refuse to come out of the coop, they wouldn’t even budge from their roost.

I left them to their own devices while I went into the house for breakfast, but the wind was so stiff outside I quickly realized I’d have to switch to Plan B. There was no way the chickens would emerge in this weather. And by leaving the coop door open so the hens could come out of the coop, the wind was blowing snow in.

Snow, Nellie and Hope needed shelter. They needed to eat. And they needed drinking water. So an hour after I first tried to entice the hens out, I moved their feed and water bowls into the coop, closed the door, and latched it shut. I left a tiny window atop the door partially open, to provide some ventilation.

The experts say you shouldn’t place water inside a small coop like ours. If it spills, you’ll have a soggy mess on your hands. Moreover, it’s important to prevent moisture from building up in a coop in the winter because that can cause frostbite. By locking the chickens in, I had limited their mobility, and reduced their access to fresh air. But I figured keeping the hens fed and hydrated, and shielding them from the snow and wind, trumped any risk of frostbite and claustrophobia.

The hens began milling about in the coop and clucking excitedly as soon as their food and water magically materialized inside. It wasn’t an ideal arrangement. But considering the hand Mother Nature has dealt us today, I think it was the best one.