Sooo Cold!

This morning it was -2 F here at Welcome Home Farm! It was sooo cold! And Vet2Be is sick in bed which means that I had to do all the chores myself.

I piled on the layers to keep from freezing! T-shirt, turtleneck, two sweatshirts (one with a hood), and my winter coat. Thermals, flannel pajama pants, and overalls along with wool mittens complete the winter outfit! Oh yes, and I almost forgot to mention wool socks. This morning it was cold enough that my toes were numb when I came in from the barn. I guess I will have to put on two pairs of wool socks tomorrow.

Truth be told: from about here on out until it gets warm I wear thermals 24/7 because I tend to get cold whether or not it is below freezing outside.

The goats gave a bit less milk today. I'm guessing it is a combination of the cold weather and the light dwindling. We usually milk until the middle of January, giving the does 6-8 weeks off the milk stand before they kid. This year we will probably dry them off by the end of December, earlier if their production stays down. I don't want to spend more time than I have to out in the cold. And it seems silly to spend money on feed when we aren't getting the same amount back in milk.

The duck water was almost frozen solid! I couldn't even get the ice out of the bucket, so I had to leave another bucket out for them and hope the first one thaws in the sunshine today. The frozen one is black, so there is a chance that it will thaw enough to get the ice out by this afternoon.

And of course, the electric bucket that is in with the kids became unplugged during the night. Boy were they thirsty this morning! I tied the wires into a knot again. I hope it holds this time. I hate it when animals don't have liquid water when they need it.

The bunnies had frozen water, too. We don't have electric waterers for them, so we have to trade out water bottles morning and night for them. A few years ago we made some insulators with foam and duct tape. They worked well, but we need to make new ones this year as the old ones gave up in early spring.

Too bad most of the eggs were frozen this morning. Ducks tend to lay at night or in the early morning. Usually they bury them in the straw bedding. That often keeps them from freezing. For some reason a few of the ducks decided to lay their eggs right on the snow, so I ended up throwing away eggs this morning.

One more thing that kept me out a bit longer was the neighbors horse. He was out of his pen. I tried to reach my neighbor, but she must have been out for the morning. I was a bit nervous about putting him back because the foal is less than a year old, but he managed to run back in where he belonged when I got to him. I went home to get a clip to put on the gate since I could tell that he had worked the latch loose to get out. By the time I got back he already had the latch half-way open again! Silly foal! He is injured, too. His owner is praying that everything heals well or he will have to be put down before the new year. We are, too. He is a sweet horse and will make a good riding horse because of his temperament if his leg heals properly. If it doesn't, he won't be able to support his own weight let alone the weight of a rider.

The furnace has been on alot today. Usually Vet2Be starts the fire and does his schooling in front of it where it is warm. I guess I will be starting the fire today.

I hope it is warmer where you are! It seems as if all of America is in the midst of winter storms today. I see a white Christmas in our future, along with a nice fire in the wood stove, hot chocolate and spiced cider to sip on, and snuggling in a cozy blanket while reading a good book.