Brrr. It's been chilly here the last few nights, with temps getting to -11C. Yea, I know, that's not COLD, but it's cold enough. My mind always wanders to my outdoor menagerie and hope they are keeping warm enough.
We don't heat the outdoor enclosures unless it gets REALLY icy, like -16 or less. Instead, we use the old farmer trick of feeding them, and feeding them well. Every afternoon, around 3 PM, I do my rounds, as I like to call them. Buckets of warm, fresh water to everyone and today I splurged: they all got a helping of black sunflower seeds along with their regular fare.
Feeding birds so that they have a full crop when they turn in for the night is a good, old-fashioned way of keeping them warm. I'm not totally sure how this works, only that it does. They emerge in the morning, bright-eyed and ready to take on the day. Maybe the act of digestion heats them up, I don't know.
Minerva Louise here is making sure I don't forget Her. Giving me the old stink-eye to make sure I'm paying attention.
The ladies deserve the good stuff, I do declare.
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