What are you all doing to prepare for winter?

[Hinotori]

I've cleaned out nest boxes and all but one coop. Getting straw for the runs tomorrow.

Put up the plastic hardware cloth on the silkie pens to prevent fence fighting because boys are dumb.

Generator is tested and running good.

 

[Mini Horses]

TX may get some snow this year with all the craziness going around, weather wise. NH....girl, I just could NOT live with the snow you all get there about. Bears hibernate in that stuff.

Our last few winters have been mild and that makes me feel like "we're due", so hoping for the best. Generally Jan & Feb are coldest here with occasional snow of a few inches. But we have gotten storms with a foot or more. One 3 yrs ago. Most often gone in a few days but the area is not prepared to handle the road clearing quickly.

Like all, checking the winter covers on barn & coop windows, pipes, troughs, hay, equipment storage, etc. Need to call for a propane fill on the tank. Clear out for hay storage. too.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Yeah a lot of life is shut down from December through March. January and February are the worst. The bears hibernating is a bonus! Nice to not have to worry about them for a few months!

I bought 3 of those fancy, safer heat lamps from Premier 1 in case of cold weather kidding. We are waiting for our friend to bring his tractor over and do site work for the barn, while he's here we'll also have him move the big chicken coop and the big outbuilding we can't move by hand. We are moving everyone to one area for winter so we only have to shovel one path!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

We are moving everyone to one area for winter so we only have to shovel one path!

That sounds like a really good move!

 

[Mini Horses]

so we only have to shovel one path!

And ONE PATH is even an issue when it keeps on coming down! When we have a "big" one foot snow here -- just a small one for you -- it's a PITA for me. No way I'd stay where it happened over & over, all in ONE year. Yep, a move would happen

Everyone gets accustomed to their own situation and some even LIKE the cold/snow. It's just not for me. I salute the work you are forced to do in winter. Like heat -- some can & some can't tolerate. We learn to adjust our schedules in heat more easily than snow, IMO.

 

[NH Homesteader]

I like some snow but it gets to be a bit much. Our paths get awful narrow by the end of the winter!

I know a lot of people prefer heat to snow, but heat, especially with humidity, makes me physically sick (migraines) so if I leave NH it won't be for anywhere tooo warm!

Fenced the big chickens in the garden this morning. They'll be there until we move the coop to its winter home.

 

[baymule]

We might get some cold weather this year. We moved in February 14, 2015 and 11 days later, it snowed. We got a couple of ice storms, it snowed again and it was COLD! Last year it was hot. We'll see....

 

[Britesea]

We need to get the RV in to be winterized; I put a space heater in there to keep things warm enough that the plumbing won't freeze. Finally dug up the volunteer potatoes- 25 pounds! Good haul for something we didn't plant. Slowly getting wood cut and stacked- even though we can heat with gas, I want to make the switch to wood.
I still need to put storm windows up, and shutters over the coop windows, and a better latch on the greenhouse door.

 

[treerooted]

While I was canning this evening I was just thinking; if we couldn't get any more food until spring, could we survive?

I think the answer is yes, though maybe not all that well. We'd be living off chicken, eggs and canned tomatoes


Going to be putting the garden to bed soon, planting garlic. Rented a log splitter last weekend and got our logs mostly stacked up. Should do some general clean up around the property before snow starts falling.

 

[tortoise]

3rd snowfall of the season today. Its early for that.

DH and DS13 put wood in the basement this past weekend.