7:30 a.m. -11°. -28° windchill. Leaving the warm house to start my vehicle was harsh this morning. I want the chill out of the Blazer before I take kids to school. We watch the temperature on the way to school. "Heat wave! It's up to nine below!" I dropped kids off at the door and reminded them to stay warm. They probably won't go out for their recesses today.
Back to the farm. I filled water buckets in the bathtub. One for the goats, one for ducks, one for chickens and turkeys, and two water bottles for the rabbits. I also needed a bucket with goat food, one of game crumbles for the ducks and turkeys, and another of layer pellets for the chickens and a coffee can of alfalfa pellets for the rabbits. Six buckets, two bottles, one can and two hands. Everything needed food this morning. That doesn't usually happen.
It's been very, very cold here. My goats are old and one has already blown his winter coat because of the unusually warm weather we had in January. Buddy is 10, has little winter coat and has never been the healthiest goat. I've been waking up in the middle of the night wondering if the goats are warm enough. I enclosed a small stall for them. I dragged OSB through the snow to close in one side and the top. I piled 10 bales of shavings against the second wall. I filled the bottom with straw and put their hay, feed and water in there. They'd be warm. Buddy walked right in but Brekke's a nervous fool. After a little goat wrestling she saw it my way and went into the stall. I closed the door. Don't worry, it's by no means air tight. There's plenty of air. I slept well last night knowing two stubborn old goats weren't miserable.
The rabbitry is attached to the barn. It's set up with hanging cages. There's an opening between the rabbitry and barn. It's a window without glass that I toss hay for the goats through. I walked into the rabbitry this morning thinking it would be strange to not have the goats watching me while I fed, watered and pet the bunnies. But who's standing there? Brekke and Buddy, heads stuck through the window, hoping for their hay. They knocked down the door to the stall and went back to their much colder box stall. Ok. They win. They can sleep wherever they want. Or maybe not. Maybe I'll try reinforcing the door tonight. They don't have to stay there all day. I just want them to be warmer at night!
I fed the stubborn goats and moved on to the ducks. Their water dish was frozen to the floor. I gave it a gentle nudge but it's so cold the plastic cracked. So much for that. I didnt want to go back to the shed to dig around for another dish. Instead, I dumped their food into a blueberry bin that was already in the barn and their water into the Fortiflex dish. That'll work. I can beat the heck out of Fortflex to get the ice out without worrying about it breaking. While they ate I dumped more shavings into their box stall. Then off to the hoop house.
The hoop is always nice to walk into. There isn't any wind and it's always warm thanks to a little sun and body heat from 13 chickens. I dumped their frozen water and refilled it and the hopper. Five eggs, but only three aren't frozen. I'll collect the rest in a couple of hours. From there I went to the hen house. It's home to more turkeys than chickens right now. I repeat the same things I did in the hoop house, pet my favorite tom and head back to the house. On the way, I called the dog, but they were no where in sight. One more call before I rounded the corner of the house would be enough. They don't go far. Judging by Seb's snow-covered face, they were mouse hunting some where. They beat me to the door. The only thing left to do outdoors was the firewood. I grabbed an armload, got a rough splinter, and came in to get warm. Later this afternoon I'll repeat this morning's work when I do late chores. Yes, I'll probably block the goats in again tonight. A few more screws and a stronger latch should work.