It’s been a battle all week for spring to take its rightful place, but winter will not back down. Here in upstate New York this is the norm. What was unusual was the 10 days in early March of 70 plus degree weather. I got a jump on my spring chores including getting a delivery of 5 yards of double shredded mulch. I also managed to weed many of the beds and mulched about a 1/3 of the garden before we had two small snow falls. I have to say I don’t mind the reprieve.
The girls arrived! 10 pullets – 6 Buff Orpingtons, 2 Plymouth Rocks and two mixed Australorps. They are still nervous to go outside after Ruby, our not so small poodle, rushed the fence and sent one of them flying onto the roof. Word got around the coop and nobody wants to venture out now. Each morning when I feed them they huddle around me brushing against my leg while I pour the feed into their tray. I like chickens and they seem to be getting to know me.
I have several spring projects planned for their fenced in yard which will be posted here in the coming weeks. In the mean time we have our work cut out as we will be training both dogs to stay away from the chickens.
Spring 10 days ago
Cornus Mas withstood the freeze and snow
French Pussy willow catkins- it was all about willows in early spring!
Rosemary willow in bud
This morning- daffodil hill covered in snow
Chicken coop/ garden shed in snow
Girls have arrived!
Plymouth Rock
Rooting for Ideas 
Pretty girls. I just don’t think my dogs would allow them here. But I can dream. Your snow pictures are refreshing, since our spring feels more like summer now!
Martha-
I hear you on the dog front! My Little Ruby is just a natural born hunter. It will not be easy training her! The snow I am glad to report is mostly melted now and the spring bulbs are pushing out of the ground! Hope that’s it on the snow front.
I’ll be interested to hear more on your dog-training to ignore chickens. One side of our dog yard shares a fence with the chicken yard, so the dogs run up and bark at the chickens every chance they get. I’d say we managed instead to ‘train’ the chickens to mostly ignore the dogs. They come running from everywhere when they hear the dogs barking at lunch time, because they know I’m likely to be there soon with chicken goodies for them. It’s not a perfect solution, but it seems to be working for us.
Thanks Deborah- never even thought about training the girls!
Might need some more tips on how you did that!
I bring greens, carrot tops, cooked soy beans, or stale bread (torn into little bits) to give the girls a treat mid-day. I take the time to check on their water and food, and get the morning eggs. Meanwhile the dogs are having their break in the dog yard. So the girls are used to the dogs coming out at the same time that their goodies arrive.
This time of year the dogs are more annoying to them than any other time, because the fence between the two yards is pretty bare and the weather is nice enough that the girls are outside a lot. In another month the raspberries along both sides of the fence will have leaved out, and the dogs won’t be able to come so close to the fence. Then the girls can completely ignore them.
We started training the dogs today with red flags and the shock collars. Just don’t trust them!