January 11, 2011

A Day No Chickens Would Go Outside

Which would have been starting yesterday, when I woke up to this...

6 & 1/2 inches and still falling

I know a lot of you are probably tired of looking at snow, but this much is quite a novelty for us. We usually only get a couple inches at a time. By 2pm we had 7 and a half inches, and the snow had turned to rain. With temps still below freezing however, the rain froze where it landed and started to coat everything with a thin layer of ice. If this continues as predicted, it will mean ice accumulation and potential power outages in our area. I've set this post to publish automatically, but if you don't hear from me for awhile afterwards, that's what's happened.


It was the first time I had to get out the snow shovel and use it for snow. Usually I use it to shovel piles of leaves into the wheelbarrow.

Path from the "barn" to the house

The chickens wanted nothing to do with it....

No way

Neither did the girls....

We want breakfast in bed
Riley though....

Riley the trooper

... did his faithful duty to accompany me out to do my morning chores. I think he actually enjoyed it a bit, because he did some exploring. Instead of going back around the shed though, he came in the chickens' door and cut through the coop (much to the alarm of the chickens) to come find me measuring out a scoop of scratch.

So that's the latest from our homestead. I have a bathroom update ready to post next. Also a peek at progress on another of our 2011 goals. All coming up this week assuming I can still get online.

27 comments:

Danni said...

Oh myyyyyyy.... love your faithful companion. Everyone needs one of those! :-)
It sure does look pretty, but I know how quickly the "pretty" gets old. And ewwww...ice...not good. Do you have a generator? Are you hooked up to city water or do you have a pump? Our forecast is calling for snow tomorrow followed almost immediately by some amount of freezing rain. I'll be with you in thought AND situation, it sounds like. :-)

Dani said...

Leigh

We've just had a week of 38oC - so your snow looks very appealing.

Who can blame the animals - they always know better than us :-)

Dani

Tami said...

WOW! It is beautiful for all that it's a pain.

Laughed out load with the picture of the hen showing you her butt!

And a Riley action shot!

Take care Leigh!

Susan McShannon-Monteith said...

You're right in the middle of what we are about to receive.
Those smart chickens are not used to that much snow and there would be very little to peck at. Kittie is devoted so he'll follow you anywhere.
We have a wood stove so even without the hydro we'll be snuggly.
Stay warm.
Susan

The Mom said...

I'm amazed at the snow you're getting this year. We're supposed to get 16+ inches tomorrow. Taking care of the chickens is always a top priority. They really hate that snow.

Theresa said...

Isn't it so pretty! No, I wouldn't think any self respecting chicken would go out in that. My goats aren't terribly in love with it either although they do have good warm coats and no barn to hide in, just the calf hutch and the igloo.
Looks like a Nor'easter heading up to New England and we are supposed t have snow too over the next couple of days.
Riley ..too cute!

Leigh said...

Farmbirl, no generator. It's on the list but do have wood heat of course and kerosene lanters (hmm must find the new mantle for my Aladdin). And we're on city water. The possibility of losing power is about the only time I'm glad we've got it. Having to rely on an electric pump means having to store water too!

I didn't get a chance to go out and get more buckets, but I left all the water in the shed yesterday and last night with the animals. Only a thin layer of ice on the goats' water instead of frozen solid! Yay!

Dani, this morning I went out to do my chores and Crybaby was hollering and hollering. They have water, they have hay. She just doesn't like the snow. :)

Tami you do the same! I suspect your situation is about the same as ours.

Susan, hurray for the blessing of wood heat! I heard this is headed north and east. I hope most of it is snowed out by the time it gets to you.

Heather, oh my. And I thought our 7 & 1/2 inches was bad. Sounds like you and your chickens will be buried in the stuff!

Theresa, if you're going to get more snow then I suspect it will be heading eastward! Do Pygoras get a winter down? Crybaby has it but Jasmine and Surprise don't so I think they aren't as warm as she is. Of course they'll all tell you they're absolutely going to die if they don't get more grain! And quickly!

The Apple Pie Gal said...

You really are getting a good snow! I love Riley pouncing around. Hopefully you don't lose power. Ice scares me more than anything with the roads. So stay in if you can!

Mr. H. said...

Welcome to winter.:) I don't blame those poor birds...brr. Hope your power does not go out and you are able to enjoy all of that snow. We are supposed to get another bunch of it too.

Jane @ Hard Work Homestead said...

I think that snow is coming here today. We have 3 days of heavy snow coming. Where is spring?

Woolly Bits said...

I have to say it looks nice, when it's not in own backyard... our dog is always delighted about fresh snow, he starts digging his nose in, rolling around etc... the cat didn't like it though - he shook his paws with every step:)) ice is a different story, when even the dog starts sliding around, the fun is off... we're in for a mild, but wet week - and I hope it doesn't give you too much trouble in the long run!

Renee Nefe said...

I hope everyone stays warm! I know you have the stove so you can cook and keep warm, just worried about the critters.

Here most of our heat is the furnace with the electric pilot...I sure hope we don't loose power, luckily we have buried power lines here.

Lilly loves the snow...it's her favorite thing to eat. Unfortunately she doesn't have the good sense to come in when she's cold and gives herself hypothermia all the time.

Kids and Canning Jars said...

Wow I miss the snow sometimes. I am in way Southern Texas. So no snow for us. I love the beautiful pictures. Thanks. Get your generator out.
Melissa

Anonymous said...

Wholly Goat....that's a lot of snow! I believe you may get more than us here in Ohio...really strange! Our's is almost here! Stay Warm Sweetie and all those young'ns too! Hugs!

Nina said...

We're definitely getting tired of snow here. Our dog loves the snow! He'll play outside in it for hours if you'd let him. Of course that means throwing tennis balls or snow balls for him that whole time too. I can certainly see the novelty of that much snow in your area though. I hope it doesn't cause any problems. Because we generally get so much snow, we have systems in place to deal with it, ploughs, sanders, winter boots and parkas, which make it somewhat easier to deal with. Plus we don't generally get much rain in the winter so not as much of the ice problems. I've no idea if our chooks would go outside in the snow, but they are pretty spoiled, so I doubt it. It was really cold yesterday morning so I made a double pot of oatmeal, so that they could have the leftovers, still warm!

DEEP END OF THE LOOM said...

Wow that's alot of snow! Looks real chilly and I don't blame the chicks or the girls for stayin' in.

Unknown said...

We also got 6-7 inches and my chickens are having no of it either. Looking forward to better weather toward the end of the week.
Blessings
Diane

bspinner said...

Nice pictures. We still don't have any snow but suppose to get some tonight into tomorrow. We are in the country and the most we lost power was five hours. Luckly that was in the summer. Flushing and not having enough water is what I fear the most so I always manage to have a couple of gallons of water around for that.

Can't blame the animals for staying all snuggled in!!!!

Leigh said...

Diana, me too. I'd much rather have several feet of snow than even half an inch of ice. That's what causes the damage and power outages around here. Fortunately, we only got 1/4 inch of ice so no problem.

Mr H I know you and Mrs H are used to looking at this stuff! I'm a northerner born and bred though, so I really do enjoy some real winter once in awhile.

Jane, good question! LOl. Spring certainly isn't anywhere in our neighborhood.

Bettina, you all deserve a mild week after all the snow and cold you've already had!

Renee, buried power lines are what's needed around here. We plan to eventually have the ones to the house buried, but that doesn't guarantee much since the street lines are all above ground.

Melissa, well, we'd have to get a generator first! It's on the list. DH would like to get a propane operated one and convert it to methane, something we could potentially make for ourselves.

Nina, not being able to deal with snow like this is a problem in the south. And I suppose the actually need for it doesn't justify the expense. Instead, everything just closes up and folks take the day off.

Pam, strange how the weather can do that, isn't it. And staying warm is at the top of the priority list!

Bety, I think the goats are about fed up with it. They are out there hollering their heads off. They think they should be compensated for their misery with grain. I'm a mean goat mom though and make them eat their hay! :)

Diane, the good part is that warmer weather is always around the corner around here. In fact we just hit the freezing point, so some should start melting soon. The only trouble is, it will refreeze again tonight!

Barb, yes, losing water is a bummer. I think the longest we were out one year was three or four days. We went through our 55 gallon drum pretty quickly as I recall. And that was with bucket baths and infrequent flushes! Seeing if we can dig our own well is definitely on our list of things to do.

Seeking Serenity said...

Love the photos!
they said 'w-e-e-e want breakfast in b-e-e-ed ;)

Janet said...

Keep those hens warm. We lost several to hypothermia when it got below freezing in Thimphu Bhutan.

luckybunny said...

I think you have more snow than us! Loved the pictures. My critters are the same about not going out in the snow, especially the goats. I think all goats figure they are made of sugar and will melt if they get wet :) Stay warm!

Leigh said...

Peaceful, ha ha ha! You've got the accent down perfectly!

Janet, so far so good. I wonder what breed you had. When I researched breeds I chose those who tolerate cold though at the time I figured that was more relevant to northern flocks. Still, I'm glad I went with some of those breeds anyway.

Luckybunny, goats are the worst! One, my smallest has done nothing but holler about it almost all day. The other two turn up the drama as soon as they see me coming. The neighbors must wonder what in the world is going on.

Marie said...

I really enjoyed your pictures....we have snow on the ground right now as well. And even though I am in the house I feel as though I am freezing!!! :) I so long for a wood stove!! One day. Our chickens have not been out the last couple of days either. Today it is 3 degrees. Is Riley a cat?? He really looked like a bob cat.. :)

Blue bird said...

Dear Leigh! I am late to make a comment about Charlie's passing, but I am very sorry and sad about it.
Where I worked once many years ago: there were 2 lammas with the other animals, mainly it was a horsefarm. Lamma is very social animal.Also about the "illness" I don't know much, but perhaps he had it since birth.
Don't worry,--but a dog is better on your fatm. That is my opinion. Love: julia/blue bird :)

Geodyne said...

So beautiful. :)

My chickens would never do snow either, although one did choose to go exploring one day, after a week of snow on the ground.

Leigh said...

Maries Cottage, make that more of a "blog" cat, lol. He is the biggest cat we've ever had. And he's not even a year old yet!

Julie, yes llamas are social and I always wondered if the goats were enough. They did all seem to get along together very well though and I think Jasmine still misses him. We've thought about a dog, but no decision yet.

Geodyne, it must just be chickens. Today a few of them looked around in an area where the snow had pretty much melted. But it was also pretty muddy and they didn't like that!