Baby it’s cold outside….

Lo 20s, 1 1/2" snow, supposed to get down to 4F tonight, chickens don't like it, dozens of birds coming to the feeders, very colorful activity against snowy backdrop.

 

Oh yeah, their roost is in out of the wind and weather, and they're some tough free-range foraging birds.

I might turn the heat lamp on them but would rather not because it messes with their egg-laying 'bio-rhythm' and causes them to lay too much.

 

Lol, they have 1/3 of a barn that has the roost and laying boxes but the 'coop' door is left open, they come & go as they please, and the two livestock guardian dogs (Anatolian Shepherds) have coyotes and possums and foxes and coons and groundhogs and feral cats and muskrats, etc., for breakfast...

 

...forgot to mention that the Black Star and ISA Brown chicken breeds we have are listed as cold-hardy breeds.

 

We adopted a rescue Anatolian many years from Lexington Humane Society; had no idea about the peculiarities of the breed, we just wanted a large companion for our other outside dog. She panned out to be a loyal family member and an awesome watch dog that kept law and order on the homestead. After she passed wife wanted to get into chickens again, I said only if they can be free-ranged, and we get 2 Anatolian Shepherds to protect them., so we did, and they keep law and order on the homestead, and we have plenty of country eggs to eat and give away.

 

19 yrs is extraordinary for that size, Dumpy must have been well taken care of as a dog. We presently have a 17 yr old Papillion (smallest Spaniel) which is not so extraordinary for a small dog like that.

Yes, the 'herding instinct' is definitely in the DNA of 'herding shepherds', as is the 'guarding instinct' with 'guardian shepherds'. These come naturally to them with little of no training. We bred Border Collies (herders) to sale many years ago and attempted to have free-range chickens at the same time, absolutely did not work. The dogs could not resist the urge to 'herd' the chickens, the chickens would panic and run, the dogs would attempt to contain the chickens any way possible, and chickens died from simply being 'wallowed' to death. The Border Collies were not 'bloodthirsty killers', but they were 'chicken-killers' none the less.

 

Lol, no not quite. Guardian shepherds to guard, any livestock, not just one species.

 

My Romanian SIL grew up in communist Romania up in the mountains with flocks/herds of sheep and goats, where also there is a plethora of desirable varieties of wild mushrooms of which the hunting and selling of the shrooms is very popular. He told me that a common hazard for these 'shroomers' is to inadvertently wander between a 'sheep dog' and it's flock/herd. Very dangerous he said.

 

...stop whining... it was 8F here this morning.

 

...bless your heart,,,...I can hardly wait till it warms up to 23F...18 now