Frozen wasteland

Photos:  The snow before the big storm roared through...

Ice in every bucket, every water trough, every water dish.  Frozen buckets and bowls inside the barn, sheds, coop, pens... The rubber feed pans which double as winter water dishes are so full that no more warm water can be given.  Today, the coldest day so far, I will haul those water pans into the semi-heated garage and let them thaw a bit, so that a violent kick on the overturned bowl will pop out the offending ice chunks and let me water the critters again.  (There is a certain savage joy in that kicking process...)  ;)

We knew a big storm was coming on Sunday, so I spent the afternoon with our slowly trickling Pocket Hoses (5 of them, end to end, slowly moving water from the one unfrozen outdoor spigot to the cow trough and water barrels in the barn).  Everything was filled.  Cow had plenty of water.  Until the floating de-icer sank in Bessie's 200 gallon tank sank.  The whole tank was a frozen block of ice in 24 hours... 

That morning, I trudged out to water the pigs and Bessie moo-ed at me as I walked by.  Her trough was completely solid.  I had broken the ice on top twice the day before, but the de-icer just wasn't working.  I should have paid more attention to that little detail as the real cold was setting in.

Four gallons meant for the squealing pigs was poured into a bucket for Bessie, and she took about 4 long swigs and it was empty.  Back in the house, I filled up my water jars again...4 more gallons, gulped gratefully by a very thirsty cow, and the bucket was again empty.  

Needing to water all the other creatures, I continued back and forth, kitchen sink to barn, to kitchen sink, to goat and chicken sheds, to kitchen sink, to pigs in their pens...

Out of sheer necessity, a trip to Farm and Fleet was added to that day.  A new deicer was on hold, with a second deicer purchased just in case we needed it...  It took all day, and a few trips with warm water to help the deicer make progress at first, but Bessie's tank was finally full of drinkable thawed water by that night.  She stood there and took long, grateful drinks, while her calf danced around in his energetic way.

The weather this week seems extreme for December.  

And now, Day Four's temperatures are worse than the rest of the week has been.  My trails of bootprints through the snow are obiterated by the drifts formed yesterday.  The wind is whipping across our tiny farm.  The dogs go out, only to come limping back as their feet start to freeze from the extreme temperatures. 

 

I have ideas forming in my mind as I trudge through snow that is so cold that it is crunching.  

First, downsize, and keep less animals.  

Second, how do we get the water running inside the barn, or how do we go about having a point-well driven (I think that's the right word.  Potable water, suitable for animals, available as an emergency source...because if the power goes out, everything that I'm hauling water to will suffer, as well as -or more than- the people needing water!)  

Third...an image is forming in my mind...a barn to build if we ever move to a different property.  Not as big as ours, but with a first floor of stalls that open out into larger outside pens...and storage on the second floor...  A barn where all creatures have shelter inside of one structure, rather than these little sheds with chickens in one, goats in another, no more pallet houses on the hill for pigs...  A barn with a central aisle, for feeding and watering, with doors to the outside for each stall.  My friend with horses has one like this.  Everything has central shelter, everything can be cared for inside of the barn, everything has indoor/outdoor access.  A barn that is versatile.

But I should get moving.  There will be three trips, probably four this morning.  Four gallons of warm/hot water each time.  Animals watered, then fed, to encourage maximum water intake.  Grateful slurping noises from each and every critter out there.

Warming up time for me with coffee, between each foray into the frozen wasteland.  

Cell phone in back pocket, in case there should be any type of emergency.   Frostbite is a real possibility if I stay out too long, but if I were to slip or be injured...yeah, the cell phone is part of the necessary equipment this week!

Dehydration for all of these creatures in our care is possibly a bigger threat in very low temperatures than it is in the humidity of summer...  

I'm finding that the larger numbers of animals out there this winter is causing me more stress, as I sit inside and wonder how they're doing, because their well-being rests in my hands.  More ideas are forming in my mind as I trudge through the chores, thinking of which animals will go to waiting customers, to those people who I know will care for some of these goats/sheep/hogs the way I care for them...   There are a few good customers who have asked if I would sell adult breeding stock for them to start their own flocks and herds with, and I think this spring, my answer will need to be "yes".

Winter is winning this morning, but only until Critter Care is accomplished!

 

Laura