Sofi snuggled in the warmth of the hay bale
It blew and snowed all night with a frigid wind from the north. This morning there was snow blown inside the porch thorugh the poorly fitting door. No wonder it is so cold in there all the time! The drifts were up to three feet high in some places, but the snow was still light and easy to shovel. I had buttoned up the birds pretty well last night and they were not snowed in this morning and seemed not worse for the storm.
But getting around was very difficult and I was loathe to start the snow blower to blaze a trail because the dogs have been leaving bones around and a bone can cause the snow blower to seize. I would have used the skid steer, but it was stalling the last time I tried and I was not ready to get the mechanic out to take a look at it. I did buy some diesel fuel conditioner to try as a solution. It was suggested that the fuel may have gelled, which can happen in very cold weather and then the machine tends to stall and sputter and choke, all of which it was doing. The skid steer was plugged in for three hours and my son put in some of the coniditoner. It started wtihout a problem and we left it running for a long time to warm up. Then it went just fine, thank goodness. My son plowed the driveway around the house and paths to feed and water the animals.
The rest of the driveway will be cleared tomorrow. We had a nice dinner together, the two sons and I and then chatted and finally, the son visiting from Calgary and I watched a little movie and the other son went home to bed. He has to be up at 5 30 tomorrow, but does get Monday off.
Snow is not so hard on the animals. Some of the sheep chose to sleep outside in the blizzard and were well covered with a lot of snow which had not melted because they are so well insulated. The new little Shetlands are sick with shipping fever, a precursor to pneumonia caused by stress and had to be given a shot of antibiotic Nuflor. Hopefully they will improve and will not require any more medicine, but a probiotic will be helpful for them to get the gut bacteria back to normal. Apple cider vinegar in the water and a bit of yogurt does the trick usually. They are still worried and not comfortable, so they will be left in the stall in the barn for a few days until they settle down. At least they were out of the blizzard and had a nice warm bed to sleep in. The little potbelly sow is due tomorrow or anytime thereafter and it is supposed to warm up again, thank goodness. I sure hope she does not have babies tonight while it is still so cold.
This is the first blizzard of the winter, so I am not really complaining. There is about a foot or more of new snow and more expected later tonight, then sun and temperatures hovering around zero in the daytime. It is a dy like today that makes one appreciate the other better days of winter that are easier. Now, to the big cast iron bath tub to get toasty warm before bed….zzzz.
But getting around was very difficult and I was loathe to start the snow blower to blaze a trail because the dogs have been leaving bones around and a bone can cause the snow blower to seize. I would have used the skid steer, but it was stalling the last time I tried and I was not ready to get the mechanic out to take a look at it. I did buy some diesel fuel conditioner to try as a solution. It was suggested that the fuel may have gelled, which can happen in very cold weather and then the machine tends to stall and sputter and choke, all of which it was doing. The skid steer was plugged in for three hours and my son put in some of the coniditoner. It started wtihout a problem and we left it running for a long time to warm up. Then it went just fine, thank goodness. My son plowed the driveway around the house and paths to feed and water the animals.
The rest of the driveway will be cleared tomorrow. We had a nice dinner together, the two sons and I and then chatted and finally, the son visiting from Calgary and I watched a little movie and the other son went home to bed. He has to be up at 5 30 tomorrow, but does get Monday off.
Snow is not so hard on the animals. Some of the sheep chose to sleep outside in the blizzard and were well covered with a lot of snow which had not melted because they are so well insulated. The new little Shetlands are sick with shipping fever, a precursor to pneumonia caused by stress and had to be given a shot of antibiotic Nuflor. Hopefully they will improve and will not require any more medicine, but a probiotic will be helpful for them to get the gut bacteria back to normal. Apple cider vinegar in the water and a bit of yogurt does the trick usually. They are still worried and not comfortable, so they will be left in the stall in the barn for a few days until they settle down. At least they were out of the blizzard and had a nice warm bed to sleep in. The little potbelly sow is due tomorrow or anytime thereafter and it is supposed to warm up again, thank goodness. I sure hope she does not have babies tonight while it is still so cold.
This is the first blizzard of the winter, so I am not really complaining. There is about a foot or more of new snow and more expected later tonight, then sun and temperatures hovering around zero in the daytime. It is a dy like today that makes one appreciate the other better days of winter that are easier. Now, to the big cast iron bath tub to get toasty warm before bed….zzzz.
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