This year I am laughing. Mb usually has a big storm the first week of Nov but it has been 10C here all week with sun shining and beautiful weather. But today I got out the heated pails and plugged in the girls' pail, and moved straw into the pens for the fiber animals. I had tucked in the bunnies and chickens on the weekend so they have been ready. This is the first time in ten years I haven't cleaned up the leaves. But I never got my mower out of repair and seemed not worth it this year just for leaves. What grass did grow the sheep ate. But the leaves are a mess. I usually pick them up so dogs don't track them in.
I use an oil filled electric
heater in the rabbitry. It
has been great. Keeps temps above freezing
to minus 25C so Rabbit water bottles don't freeze. After that the tips do so need to add something more Even just leaving the lights on makes a difference. But with the chickens in there this year looks like I need more air flow so need to keep the vent open more.
It will be my first wnter with the chickens.
I am not sure how it will go.
I have the water up off the floor so hope it doesn't freeze.
I bred all the goats for early kidding. First year I had to move them into my heated studio. Looks like I will be setting pens up in there again this January. So I still have that to set up. Tarps and rubber matt and moving in the panels.
I am pondering a new male alpaca. I wasn't going t get it till spring but looks
like it will be sooner. So also need to set up another pen.
There is still a ton of stuff that could get done but even if it snowed tomorrow I got the most serious stuff done. I am dreading winter coming on after the ton of snow we had last year. THis year I am hoping for a miracle - warm and not a lot of snow. Mb. Ha! What are the chances.
By the way not all sheep wool is scrathcy or itchy. Alpaca is only one of several kinds of natural fiber that has a fine micron count. Merino, polworth and several
other sheep breeds have wool
that is just as lovely as alpaca and often blended with it. My favorite is angora.
Anything with a micron count under 21 microns - the itch factor - can be worn next to the skin and won't be scratch or itchy.
Trouble is when wool has been processed commercially all the wool breeds often get dumped in together and most are meat
breeds and the wool is great
for carpets but not next to the skin. We now have a wonderful selection of spinner's flocks and lots to chose from locally even processed into yarns and products. So check out the variations. THere is more than alpaca that meets the fine fiber criteria.
I use an oil filled electric
heater in the rabbitry. It
has been great. Keeps temps above freezing
to minus 25C so Rabbit water bottles don't freeze. After that the tips do so need to add something more Even just leaving the lights on makes a difference. But with the chickens in there this year looks like I need more air flow so need to keep the vent open more.
It will be my first wnter with the chickens.
I am not sure how it will go.
I have the water up off the floor so hope it doesn't freeze.
I bred all the goats for early kidding. First year I had to move them into my heated studio. Looks like I will be setting pens up in there again this January. So I still have that to set up. Tarps and rubber matt and moving in the panels.
I am pondering a new male alpaca. I wasn't going t get it till spring but looks
like it will be sooner. So also need to set up another pen.
There is still a ton of stuff that could get done but even if it snowed tomorrow I got the most serious stuff done. I am dreading winter coming on after the ton of snow we had last year. THis year I am hoping for a miracle - warm and not a lot of snow. Mb. Ha! What are the chances.
By the way not all sheep wool is scrathcy or itchy. Alpaca is only one of several kinds of natural fiber that has a fine micron count. Merino, polworth and several
other sheep breeds have wool
that is just as lovely as alpaca and often blended with it. My favorite is angora.
Anything with a micron count under 21 microns - the itch factor - can be worn next to the skin and won't be scratch or itchy.
Trouble is when wool has been processed commercially all the wool breeds often get dumped in together and most are meat
breeds and the wool is great
for carpets but not next to the skin. We now have a wonderful selection of spinner's flocks and lots to chose from locally even processed into yarns and products. So check out the variations. THere is more than alpaca that meets the fine fiber criteria.
