A nice little snow makes me think of snow pack potential and acequia flows in the spring. I think of these five rows of garlic that are now nestled under a blanket of snow, absorbing moisture through the pores of fertile soil…
Now this picture represents something interesting. Never in my experience have I had chickens lay eggs this far into the winter, much less starting to lay for the first time in the middle of December! The blue egg on the right is from our batch of Auracana chickens acquired as chicks in the Spring. Will the chickens keep laying eggs even as the days grow shorter and shorter? I think this is uncommon, as I reflect on stories from the elders who used to light chiminea fireplaces in the coop to keep the chickens warm, but even then, I never heard of chickens laying all winter without the help of a lightbulb to extend their perception of daylength. Maybe climate change is helping keep the chickens feet warm, even though the temperatures seem colder? I heard that once a chicken’s feet get cold, she will quit laying eggs until it warms up… We will have to keep tabs on this, maybe it is an instance where climate change can actually help our food security situation?
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