[bigchicken]

Snow, frozen drinkers, feeding sheep, feeding horses, twice as long to do everything and my last black wyandotte hen broke its leg. Just the usual when looking after animals.   

[OhLaLa]

Sorry to hear that. Yup, that's the side of it the likes of HFW never shows. The Real (not so) Good Life. Wouldn't swap it though.

Any tv programmers contact me - plenty of mud, hard work and freezing asses available........

..... and I don't mean the mule type!   

[bigchicken]

Snow even deeper some of the chickens refusing to come out of huts this morning. Old Chinese carry out plastic tubs brought into action as drinkers. Scattered some straw around. used an old sheep feeder for there mixed corn. The kids and myself built an eight feet tall snow man, broth and home made bread cooking.  Sorted! bring it on.

[egglady]

same here.  lots of snow and thunder and lightening half the night - never seen that with snow before!

only animals that seem to be enjoying it are the horses for some bizarre reason!

[bigchicken]

Yes our two horses love the snow galloping around the field having great fun really good to watch. Still getting some eggs dont think that will last long now.

[northfifeduckling]

when I woke in the night from the noise I had dreamed of a plane crash! Thunder and lightning did not stop until lunchtime and the sky's colours made you think the end of the world was near! the horses must warm themselves up through exercise! Strange thing - I'm not cold in the house until I sit down in the evening but OH is moaning all day 

[bigchicken]

Chickens eating the snow, Horses rolling in the snow, 4 wheel drive just managing in the snow. Sheep starting to struggle in the snow. Telephone lines sagging in the snow. No work because of the snow. Kids of school in the snow. People taking there shopping home on a sled in the snow. Sitting warm in the house to hell with the snow.

[Pony-n-trap]

My chickens have stayed put in their coop the passed 2 days, only one young cockerel ventured out but then took refuge in the duck house til bedtime.  Have installed feeders in the coops and water.  Ducks are out but not happy their pond is frozen solid, so is their washing up bowl that I use as an extra for them.  Have managed to find an empty crystalyx tub so they have water to splosh in, they are eating some grain but am mainly feeding them lettuce, its the only thing they seem to want to eat!  Duck eggs have gone down from 3 to 1 per day, am not expecting any tomorrow to be honest.  Banty eggs have stopped now.  AM so glad we got the new duckhouse in, after 2 nights of lifting duckies in, last night we herded them but made them go in on their own and tonight when I got home from the horses, I went in to put them to bed and they were already in their house, fluffed up, curled up and looking at me as if to say,'shut the door mum, its cold!'

Horses (5 of) have eaten a full round bale since Friday afternoon, sheep have almost demolished theirs and my 4 remaining orphans, who are in with the horses while the tup goes in havent been able to dig through the snow for grass today so have been back down on an emergency trip with hay for them.  Our tup was supposed to go in on Sunday but unless we strapped him to a sledge and sent him down the hill we cant get him to the ewes!

Polytunnel is still just about holding out under the weight of the snow, I have knocked it off a few times but we are about 2 ft deep now.  Oh the joys of winter, but this is extreme.

[faith0504]

day 3 of the snow, managed to coax the hens out of their coop today they have not ventured out since friday, i scraped the snow back and scattered some ash on the ground they had a nice potter till it snow again, straight back in they went till i went out and scrapped the ground clear for them, 6 times in total today, we have a foot of the white stuff now

[Womble]

Moved nearly the last of our belongings up to the new house on Saturday. Come Sunday morning though, it was clear we weren't going to make it up with the bed and the last load of stuff.

We did get up there tonight briefly, just to check on everything. However, the snow was drifting up to 3 feet in places, and we needed the Landy's low box and diff lock to make it, so once the snow started coming down again, we didn't hang about for very long! Still, at least I've managed to retrieve some work wear, so I don't have to go into the office tomorrow looking like a tramp again!!

Oh, and the irony?  Mrs Womble's car is due in at Kwik fit tomorrow to get winter tyres fitted...... only it's currently under 2 feet of snow, and frankly there's no way it's going to make it!!

Wondering if we've bitten off more than we can chew here......

Womble.

[faith0504]

its character building womble 

[bigchicken]

Yes and everyone loves a character. Had to go into town to pay a bill and have never seen so many idiot drivers getting stuck, driving to fast, skiding, having no consideration for other drivers. Badly parked vehicles.  pedestrians risking lives walking on the roads. The true human shows its face. Kids charging to clean snow for old folk and the disabled. Give me a few chicken anyday.

[bigchicken]

Chickens coping well not venturing far. Humans not coping well, went to local supermarket bread in short supply we had been told, none left what will we do I could hear, oh there is loads of flour maybe you could make some.  daaaaaa. Local feed store starting to go short, I,m not the smartest but at this time of year always have enough winter supplies to last the animals a few weeks or more. One thing about the snow, my birds are much easier to catch. Someone told me that the snow is to last till the 27th and then winter is to set in. 

[Sandy]

I just hate carrying the water, a great gadget would be a flame thrower so I could defrost everything in my path!!!!!!!

[northfifeduckling]

We've got about enough food in the freezer for another 2 weeks! As long as we have power to cook it things are not bad, considering...I've got enough for the birds for 4 weeks or so and can get wheat from the farmer nearby (but not pellets).  The chickens have not put their feet out of the house, just their heads to eat food and snow ... The ducks are suffering but I still get an egg a day. This seems a real miracle if circumstances are considered and I am ever so grateful to the bird who produces it!
I am actuallyalso really grateful for my breadmaker, it's so easy and cheaper - and tasty!
Could have done without your forecast, bigschicken