This week, the January/February edition of Chickens® from Hobby Farms arrived in the mailbox with my article about how to build a better chicken feeder in the centerfold! That was fun, but there was no time to read through the rest of the magazine with two more articles to wind up for my editors by this weekend. (tick, tock…)

Meanwhile, in the backyard, we enjoyed the final days of live flowers as temperatures plummeted into the teens. I’m SO not ready for winter, but we have started winterizing the coops and I’ll be writing about it for you later this week.

Iris (Olive Egger pullet) and Lola (Columbian Wyandotte) kept close tabs on the Littles (Black Copper Marans chicks and Olive Egger chicks).

Now that Rachel (below, Bantam Cochin Frizzle) has finished molting, she has resumed egg-laying at the rate of 3 per week. None has proven fertile in the incubator yet though despite Sparky’s best efforts. An unidentified flock member had the audacity to pluck these newly grown feathers out of Rachel in a nest box skirmish. :(