Monday I picked up one of those plastic bins with the folding lid at WalMart, sawed a chook-sized hole in it, and put it on the floor of the coop to replace the plastic bucket - hopefully to give Mildred something big enough to go into when she wanted to make an egg deposit. So far, nothing, but at least it's there. I may have to start keeping everyone cooped up again to see what happens.

I've been ill the last few days, and came home to rest instead of going to church yesterday evening. When I went to lock the chooks up, it was early - around 6 or 6:30 - and they were all out pecking in the last residue of snow, enjoying the sunshine. I hated to chase them in.

Went to the doctor yesterday for this whatever that I have. While I was at it, I got a tetanus shot. I haven't had one in probably 25 years or more. Since I've been spending a lot of time in and around an ancient barn, working around rusty nails and assorted goat and chicken by-product, I figured it was just a matter of time before I got a scratch or stepped on a nail and wished that I'd had one. So I'm good for ten years or so. An ounce of prevention and all of that.

Meantime, I'm thinking that this will be the weekend that Bob makes the transition from the coop to our freezer. I wonder what the weather is going to be like on Saturday...