Austin "winters"

Next week is the first day of winter but I am sure Austin will be a temperate 70 or so. While I bitch and moan about fighting 80 degree heat while trying to get into the mood for the office Christmas party, I secretly appreciate the fact that my chickens are fine.  It never gets too cold for them.

I am now entering my third winter with chickens. When I started I bundled up those hens when the temperature dipped into the 30's. I dragged out heat lamps and extra tarps. Now I just drape a car cover over their coop and know that they are fine. They have nests lined with newspaper and cardboard then filled with hay or newspaper "hay" to get all cozy in. 

Not worrying about them so much this year makes me feel weird. I was so use to worrying about them. If this weather pattern continues I'll have plenty of worries Spring-Summer. They are predicting a drought for 2011, ugh! I'll have six months to worry about the heat. I just have an awful feeling we will see 90 degrees in March or April. I mean it is supposed to be 80 tomorrow! And October gave us such promising cold days.

For Christmas the girls will be getting meal worms. They don't know it yet. They have never had them before either so it will be truly special.