The first snow of the season fell overnight here in central Maine. It was barely more than a dusting, but enough snow materialized to lightly blanket the ground, which was a bit disconcerting.
Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to check the weather forecast yesterday afternoon, after which I covered the chickens' pen with a tarp, to prevent snow from accumulating inside. On those rare occasions when I've accidentally allowed snow to fall in the pen, "the girls" have stood frozen at the coop door, peering out at the foreign landscape as if they had been relocated to Chernobyl. Eventually, hunger won out over fear in those cases, and the hens tentatively descended the ramp into the pen. They then tried to somehow reach the food bowl without actually stepping in the dreaded mystery substance that coated the soil.
I've seen plenty of pictures online of brave hens with an exploratory frame of mind traipsing through several inches of snow, with seeming indifference. Either the world is full of chickens who are much more flexible and adventuresome than our trio, or there are lots of chicken owners out there who should put their Photoshopping skills to better use.
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