The Evolution of Atlas: A Breeding (and Chat) Thread

[speckledhen]

Yikes! We haven't had temps this cold in 12 years! 3*?? NO!!!
The night Isaac, my Delaware rooster, got frostbitten toes, he had lost his balance and ended up on the floor, slept there. It was 2* that night. No frostbite in his comb, just his toes. That coop was raised off the ground so air rushed underneath, making the floor extra cold. Our barn is solidly on the ground so nothing like that should happen, but I am almost in tears over this at the moment because of my husband's condition and me having to do all the outside work. All I want to do is hibernate and I hope to God we don't lose power like we usually do. I told him to call our wood delivery person and get more, but he is dragging his feet about it. All it takes is a message on Facebook, no standing, walking or anything physical. She'll even stack it. I just want this over, just one more stress on my plate now.

 

[speckledhen]

Update: he got in contact with a guy who lives close by to deliver at least a face cord of wood tomorrow.

 

[1muttsfan]

I'm so sorry to hear about Tom. It is a misery to have such pain, it just drains all of your energy and clouds your ability to think.

Cold here also Lisa, the lake is making a lot of ice so looks like we'll have pond hockey this year. I don't see any temperatures out of the teens for the next week, and as you say possibly longer. Birds are shut into the coop for the duration although if it gets into the upper teens tomorrow I'll throw some straw down and let them out for a little while.

 

[speckledhen]

I'm so sorry to hear about Tom. It is a misery to have such pain, it just drains all of your energy and clouds your ability to think.

It does and I'm helpless to really help him other than do all the jobs I can to keep this place running. He's had back issues for 40 years, was on temporary duty in TX in the 1990s when a disc basically exploded. He came home in a wheelchair and had back surgery to repair it. Beyond that, doctors have never offered any help other than useless physical therapy (muscles are not the problem, structure is--bone, cartilage, pinched nerves, etc) but they've surely made a ton of $$ off his pain and he's much worse, plus has picked up other conditions. He is a strong man. A weaker man would have already packed it in. He is the best man I know, uncompromising integrity, but that won't fix his pain and the mental decline that comes with it.