March has come in like a
lion, and our chickens are wet and muddy. I’ve been wanting to
focus on making
our cochin go broody and set on some chicks, but she’s had a low-level
case of diarrhea that she can’t seem to shake. I’ve dosed her
with yogurt, garlic, and earthworms, all to no avail. I know that
deep
bedding is supposed to be healthy for chickens, but I also know that it
takes several months for the good bacteria to colonize bedding, so it’s
possible that my experimental bedding is responsible for her ill
health. Just as likely, though, is the current forest pasture’s
position in the shadiest spot in the yard.
Meanwhile, Mark has been
hard at work putting together a used
pallet chicken coop
in the sunniest area so that we can move our flock there soon.
Green grass is pushing up through last year’s dead foliage in the new
pasture area, and I suspect that fresh greenery will be the health cure
our cochin has been looking for. I’m chomping at the bit to get
our flock moved into the sun and our cochin sitting on some eggs, but I
have to remind myself that the farm has its own timeline. Maybe
by the end of the week….
