Winter~Are you ready? It's coming!

[Quail_Antwerp]

Some of my rabbits already have crocks for water, so I guess I'll just pick up a couple more and take water bottles down for the cold months.

 

[ksalvagno]

Since we had a warmer than normal November, it is hard to get ready for the cold. Now they are predicting a colder than normal December in Ohio, at least NE Ohio. The goats and the chickens are set, I just have to get out the water heaters for the alpacas and I'm done. So far their water isn't freezing so I don't want to use the heaters until it starts.

I don't mind the cold as much as the snow. I certainly wouldn't mind a good cold snap killing off a lot of bugs for next spring.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Since we had a warmer than normal November, it is hard to get ready for the cold. Now they are predicting a colder than normal December in Ohio, at least NE Ohio. The goats and the chickens are set, I just have to get out the water heaters for the alpacas and I'm done. So far their water isn't freezing so I don't want to use the heaters until it starts.

I don't mind the cold as much as the snow. I certainly wouldn't mind a good cold snap killing off a lot of bugs for next spring.

I'm opposite here. I love love love the snow. don't mind the cold, as long as there is snow, but hate the wind. Is your wind as bad on your side of the lake as it is on this side?

 

[Javamama]

I like winter. I know

I prefer the ground frozen instead of brown and muddy up to my ankles, I like pretty white snow, even if it doesn't stay that way for long, and I like to wear layers - I'd rather be cold than hot.
I started using those black rubber feed pans for our water in the winter. I just switch them out a couple times a day. We have to keep our waterers outside anyway because of hens who think they are gymnasts.
Of course I only have one area to take care of and it's very close to the house.

 

[sylvie]

Since we had a warmer than normal November, it is hard to get ready for the cold. Now they are predicting a colder than normal December in Ohio, at least NE Ohio. The goats and the chickens are set, I just have to get out the water heaters for the alpacas and I'm done. So far their water isn't freezing so I don't want to use the heaters until it starts.

I don't mind the cold as much as the snow. I certainly wouldn't mind a good cold snap killing off a lot of bugs for next spring.

I'm opposite here. I love love love the snow. don't mind the cold, as long as there is snow, but hate the wind. Is your wind as bad on your side of the lake as it is on this side?

I can't speak for ksalvagno, but our weather comes in from the north-north west across the lake, bringing massive amounts of lake effect snow: the giant snowflakes 1" to 1 1/2" in diameter. It's the wind that brings it in so we get windy which goes right through you. I'm a couple miles from the shore.

 

[miss_thenorth]

I'm a coupla miles from the shore too. We don't get alot fo snow over here, (darnit), but the wind is brutal. We have over 50 wind turbines in our county and more coming.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

The mild November did nothing to acclimate me for this morning's 28 degrees. The grass is crunchy, standing water from the rain froze.

Still- I hate the heat more than being cold.

Same here and I agree -- to me 100 degrees in summer is a whole lot worse, because when it is cold, I can at least light a fire. When it is hot I just suffer.

Lucky you . . . we dipped down to 24 F this morning . . . and it is supposed to get worse over the next several days. On days when I don't have to go to work, it is pretty easy to sleep in and not have it be quite so cold for my chores, but on work days I have been coming home to freezing temps and starting off well below freezing. The chickens are pretty easy to take care of and the little buggers have such a nice coop, it is much warmer than our house would be if we didn't keep the woodstove stoked all night. At least this confirms my suspicion that once we build ourselves a decent house (small, mind you) we will be a lot more comfortable with less use of the woodstove.

I was not prepared this year. Usually I put my garden to bed properly, but I was too exhausted this year. I guess I will find out what plants can take what this year, and cull the ones that really just can't hack it, even if that is mainly just from my neglect. :/

 

[FarmerChick]

when you guys say crocks....you are talking rubber water pans right?

when frozen the rubber ones are so easy to smash on the ground, get ice out and no broken water tub.

I love rubber!

 

[Blackbird]

Everything is relative Gina? Sure..

We get -60 winters and up to 100's in the summers, both extremes here. But once you get past the -30's you don't tend to notice much.

Aly, I suggest plastic containers that you can smash against something or bend to pop the ice out. Much faster than heating water up, in my opinion. We have hammers in all of our sheds for chunking ice, and ice piles outside every door come winter. Of course, if the ice is clean I'm sure you can put it in a bucket and take it in to warm up again. Thankfully this year we are down to 5 rabbits instead of the usual 20+.

Containers/crocks are less work for the people and rabbits, especially in the summer when a rabbit needs a nice long drink. An additional + is that they can put their feet in it to cool down as well.

Our well freezes in the winter so we use 1 gallon kitty litter jugs and a sled to haul water from the house to the sheds.

Switching water out 4 times a day?! Not here..
We add fresh water twice a day, each time all the animals know enough to get their fill until next feed time comes around. Never had any dehydrate yet.

We do have water heaters but even with them the water freezes in the dead of winter, so its usually the black rubber waterers.

Not sure why your chickens would have a problem with melted snow. Back in the 70's when my grandma had cat-scratch fever my mom and her brothers had to take care of everything and their house didn't have running water, so they took the furniture and their piano apart for firewood and melted snow for water. They lived! For the most part.

 

[Blackbird]

To answer the original question..

I've been ready for winter since when it first snowed up here; October 10th