Winter~Are you ready? It's coming!

[Quail_Antwerp]

Let me start by saying, I HATE WINTER!

Especially since we have to haul the water in.

We're fast approaching that time of the year when my fingers feel froze before I get through one round of chicken watering/feeding. I find myself griping (at myself) and asking myself "What were you thinking??? Did you need this many bleeping chickens? How long has it been since you found eggs in the nest boxes like they're supposed to be?" (I'm not answering that, either.)

I hate hate hate hate hate S N O W...that's a four lettered word at our house!

I wish I lived in a warmer state, like Alabama!

So, are you ready? I'm not talking food storage, house prep, etc...YOU yourself, are you mentally ready for the coming challenges of doing outside chores for animal care, barn cleaning, etc?

Rotating waterers every 4 hours??? (Did I mention we go through a lot of water in the winter?)

I think this year, those chickens better be praying for lots of snow. I think I'm going to melt snow and ice on my stove top this year for thier drinking water. I'm sure it won't kill them!

Seriously, though, I'm looking at the calves, wondering, they big enough to butcher so I don't have to haul water to them this winter??? (We have a tank heater for their water so hopefully it won't freeze!)

I'm looking at the rabbits and asking myself, do I need 8 rabbits???? At least I think we have 8 rabbits...........hmmm might need to count......

How do you keep rabbit water bottles from freezing??!!

I'm up to five poultry pens this year....FIVE pens that will need water changed, etc....and FIVE rabbit cages! What was I thinking?!

Is it selfish to hope for a very mild winter??? I only want snow on Christmas day, no more after that.....

And please, please, please could the temps at least stay in the 40's until March?? (and then pop up to 50 and keep climbing!!) so I won't maybe please not have hopefully frozen waterers?????

 

[FarmerChick]

NO NO NO NO NO
I AM NOT READY....I DON'T WANT IT....NOT IN THE MOOD, HATE COLD!!!

We got white frost everywhere outside...but hopefully it should hit into the high 50s, low 60s and pure sun outside so I think I will survive today.

House is COLD and I hate that.

Frozen fingers--UGH---I feel your pain also..

You have to fight winter and that is what I don't like aboiut it.....summer "ya just seem to go along"--but winter requires hard work out in the cold!!!

 

[inchworm]

Can we pleeaasse stop talking about it?

 

[FarmerChick]

Do you hope it will go away if we don't talk about it?

LOL

I am ALL FOR THAT!!!!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Yep, and for me, worst part is, I've downsized all that I can without hurting next springs chick/hatching egg sales.

4 more chickens are leaving to go to my mom, maybe...and that's my two pheonix hens whom I have no roo for and a pair of Dom's, though Ernie thinks I should have kept the Doms.

I am still needing at least one maybe two more chicken coops, but those will be on the to do list for next spring....

And next spring, my coops better ALL be wired with electric! I'm putting my foot down on that one! I want to be able to plug in electric waterers in all the coops before winter 2010/2011!!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Do you hope it will go away if we don't talk about it?

LOL

I am ALL FOR THAT!!!!

Me, too, but it's like any other problems...not talking about it doesn't make it go away! Just festers and frustrates a person more!!

 

[FarmerChick]

yes that is smart because if you live in a long cold season like yours, you must do what is necessary to CUT DOWN the hard work in the cold winters.

I am lucky that my NC winter is short, a bit nasty at times, BUT mostly survivable pretty easy.

I have an automatic horse waterer that is heated out in the field near the barn. WHAT A SAVIOR in winter. I love that stupid thing...worth every penny.

And remember, as we get older, and older, that hard work out in the cold is not nearly as easy.

Set yourself up slowly with a good survivable winter system to get work done easy and fast!!!!


Remember Roosmom (I wish she didn't leave and would come back, I liked her!!), but I remember her posting about having to battle deep snow, her chickens all getting frostbite bad, trying to shore up the coops, etc. etc. She had a hard battle to keep animals easy in that COLD winter of hers. It is a fight big time for some.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Yea, where is roosmom? I miss her a ton! She was so funny!!

 

[Dace]

It is arrivign here this week....over night lows are supposed to hit the 30s. By the time I go out to let the girls out it will be significantly warmer....most winter days are in the 50-60s. That is about as cold as we get

Sorry ladies. I wish I could say that I feel your pain....but I don't

 

[FarmerChick]

It's a cruel cruel world you being a meanie!