Managing the flock in a winter storm

[LynneP]

There's a huge storm barreling through the Northeast and into Canada with hurricane force winds, freezing rain and huge amounts of snow. We're getting ready and some of you are in the middle of it. How did you prepare, or how are you preparing?

For those of you now without power, God bless and hunker down, we'll talk to you when you get back.


We're taking extra jugs of hot water to the barn and baffling them with hay bales;
the feed hoppers are full, likewise the waterers.
If the power goes out we have a generator but it will be many hours after the storm ends before we can dig out and operate it. Or barn is a long way from the house thankfully downhill but we get huge drifts during storms like this, may have to enter barn through a window;
Horse gets a hot bran mash tonight and extra bedding,extra hay and alfalfa chunks;
barn cats get boiled eggs tonight, have fresh bedding in their sleeping boxes and lots of water and kibble, litter boxes clean;
hens have new bedding in nest boxes, extra shavings in the coop, pop doors closed and waterer plugged in. Pellet hopper is full, snow boards to protect run;
Propane tanks at 60%, oil tank at about 65%, laundry done, clean dishes, errands run.
We are very lucky.

 

[redoak]

I just hope I can still find the chicken coop when it's all over.

 

[Mahonri]

Well, hunker down and we'll hope for the best for you.

I think there are a lot of folks who have generators but then they don't have them ready to go if the worst happens and power is lost. You may have already done this but it's always good in the summer(or some other calm time) when everything is OK to grab the generator and get it going... and use it as you would if you lost power. anyway... just a thought for all of us.

 

[LynneP]

I hear you redoak- remember to leave the shovels in the house, not in the coop! A few years ago my favorite shovel was in the barn *ahem*

Mahonri- this is our 6th snowstorm of 2008. An average year we have 5 storms, so, sadly, we've had practice. This is a bad one though, and when we got the generator a few miserable years back we got in the habit of starting it once a month. It's kept where it is used, under cover and wired to a panel in the house. Expensive, but the most reassuring money I ever spent, I sleep better. We topped up on gasoline yesterday,

But yes, so much to consider. Folks in the Northwest suffering badly and not used to it. In the Northeast we could give lessons!

 

[digitS']

Quote:
Lynne you are very wise but careful on that Northwest thinking

. There's a "west of the Cascades" and an "east of the Cascades" thing. Kind of like California with its HUGE differences in elevations as well as latitudes.

My advice for cold temperatures - think calories. Plenty of high-calorie food for our feathered friends

.

Steve

 

[FisherMOM]

we have our second storm right now.. 2nd in 2 days.
I have lots of water too set aside, but most likely not enough if we lose power.

Ducks are frozen.. I might have to thaw them out in the house.
I am not too thrilled about that. This am the sun was out and it was nice, so when I gave them water, they muct have bathed in it... Then suddenly the sun was gone, the wind picked up, and now I have duck-cicles!


Here are pictures

we have something like 3 feet of now and it is still falling...

yesterday, Dec 20th, was more doable than today,and not so cold.

,


This one was taken today at 11am from my front door!

here is a side by side of yesterday and today... same angle...

 

[spook]

All of us need to be prepared for any turn of events up in snow country. Its been coming down quite hard for 2 hours now, I do not plan on going out until 2 to put the girls in off their "porch".
We use the plastic kitty litter jugs (good sized ones) for water to flush, we also have a outhouse. Their will be recycled milk jugs filled with water for drinking.
We have a wood Kitchen stove, so heating and cooking are pretty common on that, oil lamps are ready, cooler is ready if we need to set the freezer stuff in it. Extra bedding is out and homemade bread is rising.
Always have a pantry with canned goods, self canned and store bought, chicken thawing for dinner. I'm fortunate setting in amongst the trees, it cuts down on a lot of wind and drifting. I would much rather have snow then Ice, Ice is terrible!
Did you folks realize that the people of Nova Scotia Power company came to assist Maine and New Hampshire during this recent Ice Storm, the men and women gave 1 day of their paychecks to the York County in Maine to help with costs that came from opening sites to keep the Maine/NH folks warm & fed.
Good people those Nova Scotians!

 

[Reinbeau]

We were supposed to get 'flurries' this morning and then go over to rain - hasn't happened that way. We've probably had an addition six inches so far, and it's still snowing (it did stop last night at around 9:30, by 9:30 this morning it was snowing like mad again). This is the system that's supposed to dump up to two feet on you guys up in Maine and northward, so if we're getting this much out of it, I can't imagine how much you'll end up with!

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

down like crazy here. My dh went out a bit earlier and said that even with the AWD the streets were in bad shape. People getting stuck on hills and such. I had plans for this mornign based on the forecast we were given. light flurries and such. Ah ha. Those are NOT flurries happening out there

He fed the chickens this morning, but I am going to head out there before dark and check on them. I really want to bring them all into the house though to tell ya the truth. I worry about them just as much as I worry about my horse. I know in my heart that they are all safe, but I still worry

 

[LynneP]

Wow, it's creeping towards us, and who is the cutie in the snowbank? Steve- forgot about the difference caused by the Cascades, sorry, didn't mean to insinuate there were folks up there who couldn't handle snow, but very worried about those in trouble. Poor little ducksicles! Doesn't matter if it's a bird or a cow, we worry about them. I find horses the greatest challenge. Our old guy is 37, and winters are tougher now.

What makes this storm worse is the bitter weather that preceded it too. We usually get a warmish prelude, but we've had days of subzero with wind chills in the -20's, Celsius. This is the first day I closed my pop door and the girls didn't blink- I think they had wanted me to do that days ago!

Take care everyone...