The cold weather is finally due to land this week, the clocks have changed and we all know chicken keeping is not as much fun with cold fingers!!!

But please think of your birds the jobs must still be done, house cleaning, fresh water daily, an extra 1/2″ of bedding in the house for extra insulation each time etc.

But also time to throw out a handfull of mixed corn or cut maize in the morning and afternoon so they can go to bed with full crops to help them get good release of food through the night and of course to give them a little winter fat.

It is also a good time to extra chicken vitamins and I also like to give a nice drop of green / white tea once a week to really stimulate their metabolism - NEVER black tea as this causes runs and once it even caused sour crop.

Please dont ask but my chickens and I have had long discussions over time and we have agreed that they prefer white tea but even though I buy direct from China it is still too expensive so we mix a small ammount of white tea with green. Although my brahmas do not touch it and they want darjeeling - but i have tricked them by mixing green with a few rose petals (this is because darjeeling is a black tea and too fermented for them).

Yes it is official Trevor is mad, the man whom runs P&T Poultry is mad but the good thing about my madness is it works after a dire weather season and 2 huge floods, storms etc my birds look better than ever

Oh yes almost forgot, with the huge rains over the last 2 years i would suggest this winter you up the calcium in the feed or vitamins or give more oyster shell grit and less mixed grit over the winter to really give the hens back what seems to be bleaching away.