Chicken House News: Feet

This little Entry is probably aptly named because the Chickens have not been getting out of their House much. That's because we have had some bitterly Cold Weather with Snow lately. Melanie thinks the Chickens could probably take the Cold, but they seem reluctant to get Snow on their Feet.

I have thought about making them little Booties. They would be so cute. Melanie agrees but says they would be a bit impractical, however. She assures me that she would not want to stifle my Creativity. But practically speaking, we would need storage for 41 pairs of Boots right by the Door. Even now, that brings up Memories of Kindergarten for me. All those Pairs of Boots could be quite a mix up considering their Feet are of variable size.

However, Nature has already provided beautiful protection for their Feet. Humans are not to worry as long as the Temperature is within a given range.

Our Resident Ornithologist says that in the Bird World, Bird Arteries and Veins are very close to each other going into the Feet. As a result, Birds have the capacity to regulate Blood Flow when Temperatures Plummet. This helps the Bird conserve Energy, which is very important during these high demand times. Plus, there are no muscles in the Feet, only tendons and ligaments which do not freeze in the same way as Muscle. Amazingly, Birds actually have counter current circulation which allows enough Blood to go to the Feet without Freezing.

So what Temperature are their Feet during these Very Cold Times? Richard says the Temperature of their Feet would be near Freezing.