Not going outside for the rest of the winter! :(

Sorry animals, you are going to have to fend for yourselves......

Yes. I used to hibernate until calving season. Now I am outside three, four times a day to check on chickens. Because they're fun.

Bah, Humbug.....

Trudging through snow is excellent justification for eating comfort foods.

Potato soup on my stove now!

Not going outside for the rest of the winter!

That's because you have not yet experienced the rousing past time of drunk & naked snow angels. This is the best weather for making them! The drifting snow quickly hides all evidence that there were any in your yard.

JDWest wrote:

Not going outside for the rest of the winter!

That's because you have not yet experienced the rousing past time of drunk & naked snow angels. This is the best weather for making them! The drifting snow quickly hides all evidence that there were any in your yard.

something tells me you are a dark horse JDWest  

I can assure you there will be no drunken snow angels made by me. Unless the snow happens to be sand and it is on a warm beach somewhere!!  

I agree Magelan, dark horse indeed!

I remember my first winter storm living in Crossfield...in the evening, there was a skiff of snow on the ground as I left a hockey game at the arena. In the morning, I couldn't get out my front door as it was completely covered in snow by a snow drift. I had to get out of the house by a second story window. Yup...there's a reason I don't live there.

Mind you, my first winter on the coast (Victoria) wasn't so great either. I remember when I moved in, my nieghbors laughed that within my worldly possessions that fit inside my car I had packed away a snow shovel and sorrel winter boots - they said I would never need those here. A few months later, I woke to a phone call..."bring your shovel and your boots, you're dog just got buried in the snow"...we had 48" overnight and the snow had just slid of the roof onto the dog kennel my dog was in. It took me about 1/2 hour to pounce through the snow to the neighbors house where my dogs were living till I found a new place.

I love winter - NOT. Is it spring yet? Only 20 days till winter Solstice and the days start getting longer again...!!!

We are getting the storm now as well, had a skiff this am and now some drifts are past my ankles. I know you guys have it far worse up there since your snow never went away, but the animals are none to happy about this.

Haha! I think you guys might be right in saying that about me.

C'mon Coopslave, this guy is braving the cold. If he can get out there and conquer, so can you!  *woot woot*
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I'm with Coop! I HATE winter ...... We got freezing rain in the valley...turned the roads to black ice rinks. Car accidents EVERYWHERE and roads closed in 1/2 the city. I live in the hills, we got 6 inches of snow and now its turning COLD (for the Okanagan) -8 as day time highs and -12 to -15 for overnight lows. I know compared to most of the country I have nothing to whine about but damn it I'm going to anyway! Did I mention I HATE WINTER!

BRRRRR!  I hated the bit of warm that turned everything into sloppy yucky slush but this sudden cold is no fun!  Stupid turkeys broke through so out fencing in high wind really not fun.  Still not warmed up and need to go do evening chores and checks.  I feel bad for my critters when temps take such a serious dip and then with high winds too   Brrrr wind sucks!!

I'm with you Coop! Rather bake than shake any day, or night!

Maybe you should build a tunnel to your birds?

auntieevil wrote:Rather bake than shake any day, or night!

You and I would get along just fine!! lol

coopslave wrote:

auntieevil wrote:Rather bake than shake any day, or night!

You and I would get along just fine!!  lol

You betcha! Cold is a four letter word, best used to describe drinks on a hot summer day. Snow is best in cone form...

islandgal99 wrote: Only 20 days till winter Solstice and the days start getting longer again...!!!

Thank god for that

bigrock wrote:

islandgal99 wrote: Only 20 days till winter Solstice and the days start getting longer again...!!!

Thank god for that

here! here! counting down the sleeps.

And then I have to be ready because the turkeys and geese can start as early as the increasing daylight to breed.... got to start separating the breeds, make sure the males don't fight, check nesting boxes.  Sigh.  I guess I'll enjoy this quiet while I can!

My poor little cow had this crazy thought we should snuggle cause its still -19 here. ALL my poor little birds are all huddled together in the big coop. In this weather everybody gets along.

What is it about dead of winter that gets the turkeys laying again  crazy birds

Turkeys laying again.
Mine started Feb 1 and have not stopped yet.

Ruffledfeathers wrote:My poor little cow had this crazy thought we should snuggle cause its still -19 here. ALL my poor little birds are all huddled together in the big coop. In this weather everybody gets along.

What is it about dead of winter that gets the turkeys laying again  crazy birds

are you saying that your cow is in the coop with the chickens? well why not, at these temperatures anything goes - we are all chooks underneath it all anyway  .

I wonder if that turkeys laying again at this time of year means they want to be valuable - ie NOT food! and that is why they are making themselves appreciated by laying eggs. It is what I would do if I were a turkey.  

Yes, my Beltsville Small White Turkeys lay all year but the Blue Slate Turkeys only start when days start getting longer - that would be December 22 - and end before summer! And researching when I should start separating geese into breeds the same applies - start breeding as soon as the winter solstice is over, should start laying no later than Valentines.

It's funny how at the end if the garden season I'm so ready for the break, took my birthday off this summer and that was it. But it sure doesn't take long til I'm itching to get going outside again. I must say, I'd rather have snow than the real cold.

I should probably duck the snowballs as I say this, but I love winter.  I do, however, have much sympathy for my unheated chickens, and wonder how it is that they huddle and whine, while the chickadees and woodpeckers and nuthatches flit around having a great time.  Or is all that movement how they keep warm, while partaking of the never-ending feast of sunflower seeds and suet?  In the summer there is a lot more cleaning of water, and things can get a bit messy.  In winter just bang out the ice and presto - clean bowl!  And the cleaning of frozen droppings is a lot easier, too.  We still go out and spend time with the chickens, and on the below -20 nights go and put all the determined-to-freeze-outside hardy ones into their coops and shut the door. Each season has its pros and cons, though I suspect the general opinion at the moment strongly favours the warmer seasons!  Happy shoveling!