Is it Winter Yet?
December 2nd, 2013 · No Comments · Posted in farming, Weather
After a pleasant fall, the last part of November has been downright harsh. The day before Thanksgiving we got an inch of snow and temperatures refused to break freezing, with overnight temps dipping into the single digits. Exposed to the morning sun, our local landscape looked like a scene out of Dr. Zhivago.
At this point, I’m glad we decided to bring the livestock down off the upper pasture and keep them in the permanent paddock, at least for the time being. There, we’ve got electricity to heat their water and a frost-free hydrant nearby to replenish their water when needed. We broke into our stash of hay for the first time as well. The sheep and the Jersey heifer are still getting used to the idea of eating hay. Instead, they wander around the paddock, pawing through the snow to find bits of grass to chew on.
The chickens also are a bit perplexed. I moved them from a far corner of the orchard to be near the electrical outlet next to the main paddock so we could heat their waterer. It’s quite a relief not to be switching out frozen poultry waterers first thing in the morning. The hens are not nearly so anxious to exit their coop in the morning with snow on the ground. But eventually they wander off, scratching around the young fruit trees looking for insects under the snow cover.
Still, I can tell the sheep would rather be on pasture. They’re bored in the paddock. They swarm around every time I get close to the gate and bleat whenever I walk by.
They may get relief soon. Temperatures are predicted to climb back into the 40s this week. I wouldn’t mind putting them back on grass and saving the hay for another day.
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