Wednesday, February 05, 2014

Forecast: Buckets and cords

No more snow here . . . yet, just cold. It was 19 degrees when I got up with a significant wind chill, something we don't often have to factor in here. Foolishly, I didn't disconnect the hoses from the barn spigots last night, so this morning everything was frozen solid. While Brian broke ice in the horse tanks, I carried buckets of water from the house for the sheep. Same song, second verse tonight. Rick put stock tank heaters in the horse tanks and plugged in the heat lamp over the chicken's water, so those two species will take less labor over the next few days when it is not only going to get colder, but significant snow is forecast as well.

The good news is that Marta seems to be feeling better. The last couple days I've found her in the Ram-ada Inn eating instead of standing or lying down out in the lot by herself, and this morning she hung around the gate where I give Annabelle her daily grain. So I put out a second serving and Marta ate at least half of it before she got spooked over Brian dumping the manure cart nearby. I'm cautiously optimistic, but will be keeping a very close eye on her.

That's it for now at . . .

4 comments:

Retired Knitter said...

I hate when animals are feeling poorly and they can't tell you what the problem is. Cats are good at hiding how they really feel, a survival instinct I guess. But after 45 years of owning cats I have gotten pretty good at it.

Dogs ... it is a little easier.

Husbands ... a piece of cake. :-)

Florida Farm Girl said...

Wow, you do have some nasty weather upon you. Stay warm!!!

Susan said...

Those frigid temps sure make livestock care a challenge. I caved in and got heated buckets. It was too challenging to maneuver water buckets over icy ground to the sheep/goats. I'm glad Marta seems better. It's so frustrating when you don't know what's wrong with them.

Mama Pea said...

Maybe Marta would just like to go somewhere with warmth, sunshine and a sandy beach. Hope she shakes off whatever has been bothering her pdq now.

Gosh, these frigid temperatures this winter have no respect for any part of the country. Folks in states far south and east of us here in northern MN have been having unbelievably low temps. And now you, too. Ugh. Stay warm and I hope you don't get too much of that "significant" snow!