Feeding Chickens in Cold Weather

Brrr....we just had a cold spell of temperatures in the teens this past week.  While I am all nestled in a blanket sipping hot cocoa, our 3 chickens are huddled on their roost with temps at 11 degrees or scratching the frozen ground in their outdoor run.  Sure, they have feathers, but I can't sit back and watch them peck at the frozen food pellets each morning when I collect their eggs.  To encourage eating and to warm their little stomachs, I warm some water on the stove and then add the water to their pellets to form a mash.  The girls absolutely love this mash!!  I use a flower pot water catcher as the dish for the mash.  As usual I give them a handful of corn grit that they will do just about anything for (it's a great bribe when I need them back in the coop).  The water feeder freezes everyday so I put the frozen water dish in the laundry room sink each day to thaw and replace it with a new one with some of the warm water.  We have golden comets and they are still giving us a reliable supply of eggs through the winter months.  Occasionally we only have 2 eggs, but that's probably only 5% of the time.

Jon took a video last week of me feeding the chickens; nothing exciting, but a few may be interested.  All of the racket in the background is Paul playing pirates.