Boo loves snow and has no interest in any discussion about cold that may result in the curtailment of his outdoor ventures.
We have snow again. Just a few inches.
It blew snow showers all day yesterday, so the north doors had to be closed. Sheep hate to be locked inside but the barn would be filled with snow if I did not shut their big door. Mama has shown real signs of good strong recovery in the last week. I think she is almost back up to speed. Just in the nick of time too. Bad winter is coming to give us ‘the bash’.
Last night it was forecast to go down to -3F(-19C) – and by Sunday we will be at -14F (-25C) with a bendy tree. These temperatures are pretty extreme for our neck of the woods. And though I am not concerned for our wooly flock…
I am concerned for our Pigs. They do not have wooly coats. Though the Hereford breed does have quite long coarse hair and are known for their hardiness. Everyone is fat and healthy though and that is a good start.
Once again today Sheila picked up her bowl and carried it (full of food) into her bedroom to eat. Too cold out there in the snow evidently!
I can’t wait until she does this when I have a camera in my hand.
Today I will continue to line her bedroom with straw bales so she sleeps down in a draft free space. She will have two blankets and both she and the plonkers have a heat lamp that they sleep under. But I don’t know. Minus 14 with a bad wind is freaky cold for a piggie.
Queenie and Daisy also have deep beds. We scoop all around the two areas designated for sleeping. They are not fed where they sleep so they don’t tend to loaf about and make a mess in there, well not too much, so on either side of their big pen are two big deep straw filled spaces. I keep clean straw on top. In these temperatures when they poo it immediately freezes. So it is easy to take the manure out in these frozen piles (unless it hits the concrete floor then it is there for the duration) but I can keep their straw beds clean. They always sleep in the same place. In their own corners, so Daisy has the super size extra king and Queenie (of course) has a Queen sized bed.
When it thaws we do a big clean up and start all over again.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Your friend on the farmy,
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
57 responses to “The real cold is coming”
I cannot imagine such cold! Anything under zero is right off my radar. You have to be so intrepid (By the way, thanks for the Celsius temperatures). Hope you can hunker down and keep warm.
Yikes that’s cold – I don’t know how well I’d do out your way in the winter. The pups here hate going out when it’s raining, let alone snowing. Andalucian doggy blood!
Great photos today!!! Freezing rain here. Couldn’t pick up my puppy today. In a blizzard all day til a little while ago when it turned from blowing to freezing rain. uffda…
Going down to -30 tomorrow now they are saying. Was 50-70 below wind chill. Yikes! Colder later this weekend though.
Stacking the bales for insulation is a great idea! And the kitties will catch the juicy mice!!! LOL Circle of life!
Yep! Once that manure is frozen to the floor it is there for life til spring! I would just keep laying the straw on top of it and try to get it up quickly when I could so it didn’t pile too high.
Sheep are the lucky ones!!! Nice and toasty…poor piggies though..sigh…
Take care Celi! Our storm should be over by the morning, but then the chill sets in… 😦
But the eastern seaboard is getting pummeled! Have to call my brother tonight and see what’s up!
Love to all!!! Stay warm if you are in the storm areas!
Hugs Boo! Where is your little buddy? By the nice warm stove I’ll bet! 🙂
Celi…I heard that this terrible weather is headed your way…take care my friend!
That first picture is STUNNING. Pigs in blankets then?! 😉
Last night about a quarter of each news bulletin here concerned your present and coming cold: cold and then the wind. Have never been in such and cannot imagine what the animals think in the barn! Remember you writing awhile back about birds [starlings?] dropping off the telegraph wires because of cold ~ well, the opposite is supposedly happening here: with inland temperatures at 50 C and over, small birds are dropping off the lines because of the heat!! Have been lucky so far, most of the heat is inland and north [Brisbane 40 C today!] and we have comfortable mid-thirties for the next 3-4 days! i know where I am happy to be!! Our birds also 🙂 ! All the best!!
Lovely picture of the little birds up top.
Stay warm! Brrrr!
Brrrr! We’ve been away and I’m not ready for this. Hope you all stay warm C. Happy New Year.
Thanks for sharing your cold I will post some of ours 🙂 Brrrr stay warm!
I love the way you care so much for the animals facing bitter weather.
We are in between fronts for about 24 hours the Arctic blast returns..but not to the extent as there. Lots of effort required with livestock in winter.(Be careful moving hay bales!)
Boo and Molly share views on cold: always ready to romp or plop down in a sunny spot. The German, however, being older, is happy with a little run, then a sunny spot by window indoors. But today, they will both be outside as much as possible …maybe they will sleep more tomorrow when stuck inside. (Shortly the German will return home again – I’m sure she’s ready have a break from high energy dog friend)
Stay warm farmy!
I used to live in North Dakota and those prairies get so so cold. I hope your pigs make it through. 🙂
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