Last night when I got done with chores the temperature was in the upper 60s (F). It was almost too warm, and terribly humid. This morning when I headed out to the barn it was 10 degrees (F). During the night the temperatures plummeted, rain turned to freezing rain, to sleet, to snow with lots of wind. It was a nice thaw while it lasted.
It was a beautiful, sunny day yesterday. It was also 5 below zero (F). I don’t know why, but somehow the bright sunshine, when it’s that cold, makes it feel even worse. The wind was still gusting and the girls didn’t want to go out at all. I had to chase them out the door. (They are fine! For those unfamiliar with livestock, a few hours outside in sub zero temperatures will not hurt them at all. They stayed close to the barn so they were out of the wind. They just don’t like going out when there is nothing for them to eat because the pasture is covered with snow.) The wind was driving the cold right into the barn. The chicken water was starting to freeze within 10 minutes of when I refilled their jug. I am so tired of freezing my tookus off doing chores!
Temps today stayed pretty steady at 2 above (F). With gusting wind all day!
On the left is how I always park my wheelbarrow. On the right you can see where the wind flipped it right over.
It was so cold in the barn my eggs froze and cracked. They were perfect when I dated them and put them in the basket.
So 2 degrees (F) plus gusting winds makes it feel like “SCREW THIS!”
Our nice little break from the cold snap is over. The storm blew in overnight snow and wind. The temperature has been dropping all day. The girls are back to clustering at the door, waiting for me to let them back in. So, we had 2 days where the temperature got above 20 (F). It was nice while it lasted.
Today it was 5 degrees (F) at 2 pm. It was 21 degrees in the barn. The wind is blowing the frigid air right in. The Kittens were ALL trying to squeeze into Tiggy’s bed (they have their own, but I guess Tiggy’s is warmer?). The chickens went to roost at 2 pm, even though it was a bright, sunny day. I thought my toes were gonna freeze off. When I got out of work tonight my car thermometer said minus 4. But the wind makes it feel much worse. I’ve had quite enough of winter, now.
Ice on the water tubs and the pile of ice after I chiselled it out. Next week the weather forecast says we will be hitting the mid-twenties. I can hardly wait for that heat wave!
It was 27 degrees (F) in the barn tonight. Which was awesome, considering the fact it was 6 degrees (F) outside. And today is forecasted to be the warmest day for the upcoming week. The water tubs are crusted with a thin layer of ice. The chickens’ waterer is frozen solid. Last night the water hose into the barn froze on me. Had to drag it up to the house and thaw it in the bath tub. Chopping ice before I can dump out the tubs to refill them. Breaking up the ice in the chicken jug to be able to dump the old water and refill it. Days like this make me really miss the barn on our old farm that had hot and cold RUNNING water in the milk house. Sigh. The animals are fine. This farmer is freezing her butt off!
Wow, was it cold today! High 40’s yesterday, low 20’s today. And windy. I should have brought the hose into the barn yesterday, but it has been so unseasonably warm, I never even thought about it. So today I had a frozen hose. I had to use the back-up hose to fill with the water tubs. The back-up hose is full of kinks, which is why it’s the back-up hose. Tomorrow is not supposed to be quite so cold, so hopefully the other hose will be thawed out. Put some antifreeze in the tractor. Took most of the fans out of the barn windows and put the windows back in. Tonight the temps have dropped into the teens. Even though it’s late in coming, I am not ready for this cold weather.
Farmer Keen 