What a morning! 19 degrees here! Luckily (sorta) I had an 8:00 am dental appointment this morning so I did most of the chores, including breaking water, but got to come back to the house after the appointment and do the water bottles. It was still 27 degrees, but the sun was at least up, so the quail could drink. The rabbits agreed, too. And the dogs got another walkabout outside before getting shut back in the house. Hubby and I will both be getting home later than we'd like today, but this worked out better than anticipated. Last night hubby got all the auto waterers down and pans out. Not as many frozen as I expected. The Juvenile Detention Center is the warmest, and the water there had not even a skim of ice. The main hen house, despite being 20 x 16 feet, is next warmest. There was a light layer of ice there. Growout didn't have water inside, as the hoses froze while hubby was working, and that was his last one! They were able to get water outside after I let them out, though. The other two houses had some ice, but it was easily broken with my walking stick. The goat water (we removed their auto waterer, too) had a surprisingly light layer of ice, especially since it wasn't under the barn but by the gate where it's easiest to refill. The bottles will, as usual, be the winter problem child. Until we get the new calves in, hopefully next month. Then I'll be bottle feeding, which is always fun in winter.
Stay warm out there!
Stay warm out there!
