Cold beds, cold feet and a rooster on the lam.

I don't do much worrying about birds in the summer, but winter just has to be horrible. There are some days I don't see a single bird that isn't named by me and dwells in my barn. Believe me- there are no birds in my barn other than the poultry. I have 5 barn cats who have done in any bird crazed enough to try and set up housekeeping in the barn. They even killed and ate a racing pigeon last year. I felt terrible about that one.
But, with no warm barn, where do the rich red Cardinals spend their time? And the hordes of black birds that fly around like they are strung together? So, I looked it up, like any modern person, on the Internet. The resources said birds get into thick underbrush and holes in trees. Ugh. NOT warm enough. With our whipping cold wind, unless the underbrush is made of cement blocks, it can't be much of a windbreak. We also lack trees (as exhibit A, look at Framed Friday from yesterday). Trees with holes have to be in short supply. Of course, birds might not live here at Cowfeathers. I rid myself of all bird feeders and stopped cleaning out the birdhouses on the property when the barn cats started using it like a White Castle drive-thru.

Also, a matter to ponder. How do their feet not freeze? Bird feet are covered with smooth little scales. Hard suckers. But, they're naked, and thin. How can you have blood supply that close to the surface, uncovered, and not have your body temperature take a serious dive? If you walked outside in your warmest togs, but bare feet and ankles, and stood out there in the snow, how long do you think your feet would take to frostbite, then become gangrenous and rot off? If I go out there in socks and boots and stand around, my toes start burning after about 10 minutes. 30 minutes and the prickles in my feet really hurt. Maybe I'm not the halest of examples as my circulation seems to be tired of the same old, same old. But still? The goose stands out there in the snow all day long, protecting my minivan, presumably so she can lay some eggs. That part of the plan seems to be faulty, but his feet are just dandy. He could go to the tractor sheds, or back up to the barn and find a nice snow-free place to spend his time. He does not. On the other hand, the combs on the roosters do tend to freeze and turn black and fall off. We tried to prevent this from happening to Beau, a rooster with a dandy, large single comb. It stood up quite tall and was fire engine red. We kept him in his own hen house with a heat lamp. Sure enough, one negative temperature night, and he had a comb that turned a suspicious purple with a dark like at the base. The tips began to blacken and then one by one, they fell off, giving him a stumpy chapeau. I bet that hurt, but I haven't mastered pain control in poultry. Thereafter, he had no problems with his comb, but a few years later he had a big problem with a fox. Or, perhaps he wised up and left for warmer climes? When the birds return in the spring, maybe they'll bring songs about a stumpy-combed rooster on the lam.