Just checking in . . . 'been busy keeping the duckies warm over here.
I know that ducks are really cold hardy and all that.
But apparently little Achtie didn't get the memo - a couple of times today I've had to bring her in (which means the flock, since where one goes, we all go) because she was fluffed up, hunched up, and shivering.
Not for long - I check in every ten minutes or so while they're out in the cold weather. Often, I'm right there with them.
She's otherwise in fine shape. But her bmi is low. She's quite the svelte Runner girl.
It was about six or seven degrees F here last night - I think that's about -12C.
Warmed up to 25F and sunny around noon.
So the new routine is to delay our ventures to the great outdoors till it's at least in the teens, and come in for warmups. No, we don't sip cocoa by the fireplace. But a nice sheltered 40F is easier on the system. Several have started or continued to lay eggs, and I don't want to stress them.
Another part of the new routine is to dump the swim pans and drain the hoses and outdoor spigots no later than mid-afternoon. I was getting away with doing it just before sundown, but yesterday a hose and spigot froze up on me before 3 p.m. phooey.
I find keeping a 5 galllon jerry can of water in the basement helps for when I forget to drain the hose.
Having the ducks has been a big help to my health - I need to be out in all kinds of weather, so I am much more acclimated to working and even resting in sub-freezing temperatures. As a fellow student once told me - there's no such thing as bad weather. Just bad clothes. (yes, I know there can be exceptions . . . )
