Winter 2014 (pic heavy)

For the most part we've had a warm dreary winter but the last month or so it finally got cold and the sun came out.
I love my camera and my critters
A young one, I expected mom to come anytime but she never did


Next was a brisk -34C (actual temp not windchill) the Fraser River was steamy






My Shy boy modelling my favourite tuque A couple yrs ago he was nightmare to bridle because he lost his mind when his ears were touched even slightly


Interesting heavy fog/cloud sunrise


Turken in the frosty nesting box


Deer actually out in the sunshine




My Smokey boy


Crazy new addition flying over 2+ft of hard packed snow


My picnic table in the back yard


Watching the sun go down


Sunny beautiful -20 yesterday and waterfowl left penned area and headed out onto the snow


Snow bath










All done look how pretty I am now


Romeo




Snoozing




Morning Fog




Getting tired of the snow but it can be pretty and at least there's no bugs

Lovely pictures.
Yucky cold! We have similar depths of snow here. Fortunately we usually get a thaw between dumps.
Love the pic of the dog screeching across the hard pack. The geese seem to be enjoying their bath, the goat and alpaca the sun.
Was Smokey upset he didn't get to model the latest in ear wear?
Thanks for sharing.

I love taking pics too.
Your pics are beautiful!
Looks like you have all kinds if critterness going on at your place.

Love the pics Serjay. I have to say my favs were the crazy new addition and the sunset.

Awesome pics indeed! Thanks a tonne for sharing!

Beautiful pictures. Love them all!! Thank you for sharing.

Very pretty pictures! Thanks for taking the time to share.

Gorgeous pictures! It's great that you can, as Cindi says, find something to put that smile on your face. I know at this time of year it's easier to let the cold and snow get us down. A beautiful sunny day can sure turn things around hey?? Those geese are pretty hilarious! Marching out into the depths and having a snow bath. Your horses look happy and healthy too. I'm interested to hear more about Shy Boy. I had a mare that you couldn't get near her ears either. Ever. Never got through. How did you do it?

Thanks for sharing your home with us.

Thanx The cloudy dreary days get to me as well and I much prefer real cold because the sky is blue and beautiful. I think the hardest on the critters is when it hovers just below zero because the dampness and dreary is awful. I have young kids and critters that enjoy my attention so it's best just to make the best of the weather and find the beauty where you are.

The waterfowl slide along on their bellies like penguins to get to the untouched snow and then once its packed they walk on it just fine.

Farmchiq no real secrets just patience. Shylo is a well trained boy but hated his ears, belly and bum touched. He has another quirk and that is when he has had enough or doesn't want to do as asked he puts it in reverse. Not terrible but very frustrating so he and I learned to do horsemanship games together regularly and it really helped us. I still just touch him occasionally in his old touchy places just because. It makes fly spraying and Swat application much easier I can walk up to him on my own (used to be a 2 person hassle) and no need to halter anymore He just gives me the look but stands for it because he knows its going to happen whether he wants it or not. As for the hat he is a chubby beast and will now do anything for an alfalfa cube LOL

very very beautiful Serjay. So nice to see your photos. Canada is a very photogenic, as are your animal company :-). The snow really has a serene-ifying effect. We live at 3300 feet and I am so glad we are not down in the valley. Down there I believe seasonal affective disorder is more prevalent, they seldom see the lovely sunny skies we get up here. Rather a little more cold than no sun. Our house is dark but looking out this morning, beautiful beautiful and there is a different hue to the light, spring hues coming through.

How amazing those turkens with their featherless necks, managing those temperatures.

This is my waterfowl area this morning


Romeo (white gander) is having a drink from the large rubber water trough that's hidden in snow there at the front left corner.

Green house area and raised bed garden will become broody goose area and then little one nursery. For now everyone is together and can freely move in garden and their netted safe area behind the garden. The brown building behind the little green house is the waterfowl shelter and I can separate into 3 groups for breeding but in winter they all stay together. The rail fence area is waterfowl area and our farm fence is upside down so the waterfowl can come out into the yard but dogs, goats etc can not get in their safe place. We had a snowy owl problem last winter and we have rotten ravens in spring so at night they get locked into the netted areas.

Magdelan those ugly Turkens are the most amazing hens. My youngest chose them in a hatchery chick order 3yrs ago. We still have all of them, they're always the ones you'll find out in the run even on the coldest days and they're fantastic layers even at 3yrs old. I do find them hard to look at though

Thanks for sharing all of your beautiful photos.   

SerJay wrote:Magdelan those ugly Turkens are the most amazing hens.  My youngest chose them in a hatchery chick order 3yrs ago.  We still have all of them, they're always the ones you'll find out in the run even on the coldest days and they're fantastic layers even at 3yrs old.  I do find them hard to look at though

ooo they are ugly aren't they! but, as we have been told since birth, looks are not everything and don't judge a book by its cover. They sound like they are the exact opposite to what I had them pegged as - I would have thought they would not want to be out in the cold at all.

Beautiful pictures love the geese bathing in the snow.

Thanks so much for sharing your photos with us all.   

Love them all, but the geese are hilarious bathing in the snow. They must have had cabin fever. Lol.

Magdelan wrote:
How amazing those turkens with their featherless necks, managing those temperatures.  

It just struck me as funny that some people put saddles on their hens but nobody has thought (even with the huge plethora of talent we have on here, so it stands to reason that it must be prevalent within the chicken-keeper world) to knit little scarves for the poor naked necked Turkens.

Just struck me as funny tonight.

LOL Farmchiq maybe I'll have to take up knitting so I can cover them up and make them easier on my eyes LOL 2 of ours have a couple neck feathers like a bow tie but naked above and below. The 2 full naked are even harder to look at and always seem to have full crops yuck They are friendly, healthy and never succumb to any mishap, they are serious survivors. My asthma has gotten really bad and I couldn't keep on my son about his chores with so many birds. He cut down his layer to coop to about 14 from about 40 hens and the 4 naked necks stayed because they are great in everyway except prettiness   

It seemed almost cruel to have birds with so few feathers in our climate and their first year we tried to coddle them with lights etc but they were always the ones outside busy in the run pecking at the snow and ice. They actually seem to be less bothered by the cold than some of the fluffier hens he has.

My waterfowl always bathe in the snow like that. The ducks were doing it as well but they are harder to isolate to take photos of them. They act just like when they're in water and it works they stay nice and clean They do have a big heated water for drinking and cleaning faces but they exfoliate with the snow hahaha

I had a couple of N.N.s back on the coast, and I kind of cringed every time I looked at them too. I never got used to them.

Farmchiq wrote:

Magdelan wrote:
How amazing those turkens with their featherless necks, managing those temperatures.  

It just struck me as funny that some people put saddles on their hens but nobody has thought (even with the huge plethora of talent we have on here, so it stands to reason that it must be prevalent within the chicken-keeper world) to knit little scarves for the poor naked necked Turkens.  

Just struck me as funny tonight.

have to see Authentic about this, I even saw on one post that she was unable to type cause she was knitting little scarves for her chooks. She has probably got a great chicken apparel pattern book, might share patterns ?   

Maybe some turtleneck sweaters would work? Or small Dickie mock turtlenecks?

Dickie Turtleneck's for Turkens. There is a funny poem in that.  :-).

Haha dickies for the turkens that made me smile this morning   

That horse wearing the toque is too cute, lol. Thanks for sharing your lovely pictures.