The Cold January

Paths of ice through the snow.  We had just enough melting for several days, and they refroze and about killed me. 

This one, especially. 

The badly-sited brooder house that I bought last year lays behind the old garage on the property... the original house was on this south end... and next to the barn, because it was cheapest to run the electricity from here.  It is dangerous in bad weather... everything you are looking at is a layer of ice. I spread cat litter on it to try to get some grip.  The back door (where the red bucket is sitting) froze in the worst of the storm last week, and I had to brace the door shut with a fence pole. 

We'll come back to this. 

My guardians have been coming daily. 

Yesterday and today, though, in the bitter cold, they have stayed in their aerie, which I think is down on the treeline near Tonganoxie. 

The starlings finally found my feeders on Saturday. 

They have only been here in small numbers today.  Oddly, I was kind of glad to see them so they could clean up the sunflower seed on the ground. 

It is nine degrees out there right now, and the wind has been blowing all day.  It's awful to be out. 

My girls in the barn are getting through it, thank God. 

That's Mama and Cleo.  

Teeny still sleeps in the straw filled wood stove, even though 

there are two heated cat houses in there. 

I have a heated dog bowl for water. 

This morning, for the first time, I lifted the water fount in the old henhouse, and the lid felt frozen onto it.  Last winter I had fewer birds in there, and I have a deep dog bowl to use if I have to... but... they get so full of debris. 

I have heater bases under all the metal founts. 

We have two more days of this terrible cold to get through, then back to the thirties and forties. 

I'm seeing lots of crows, too. 

I would say about 60% of the snow has melted, but... now we are below freezing for another two days at least.  At least I am not going through 16 inch drifts. 

This happy little dog, Mr. Floofy Ears, aka Chico... has been here exactly one year today.  He was brought here last year on a snowy day with cold temps. 

He has been a blessing to me, even though we keep having to get up and go out at night here lately. 

Bob is still here but wearing on my patience lately. 

(you see the driveway has melted quite a bit) 

My dear old rooster Buddy, in the background standing in the sun here, 

put himself into the little hen house a week ago, and then stayed in there.  He normally was king of the Big Hen House.  He is having trouble walking and getting up the stairs, his feet are missing many toes. Buster, the younger rooster in the foreground, left him alone. 

This morning, he was huddled under the warming light with a couple of older hens in back in the big hen house.  I'm going to drop it down a few inches when I do evening chores. 

Wanda was so glad to get out on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but she was 

glad to go back in last night.  I think it may be Wednesday, maybe Tuesday, until it's warm enough for everyone to come out again.  

They hate the snow. 

These beautiful birds in the Brooder House, Igor the rooster and the two La Fleche hens, the two Putih Ayam Cemani (white) hens, and the two Bielefelder hens have gone to live with a friend from Fort Leavenworth. 

Negotiating the frozen walkway between the garage and the hen house was increasingly hard, and I took my life in my hands every time I did it in the last two weeks.  I carried my phone religiously, but if I had fallen it might have been hours before I was missed.  I finally realized I was really taking too many chances, and I mentioned to my friend that I had some birds to rehome, and he was interested.  He came Friday to pick them up, and I gave them to him gladly, knowing they would have a good home. 

I miss them dreadfully, remember, I raised them from day old chicks... but it has been a blessing not to have to walk back there.  Igor was one of the best roosters I have ever raised. 

I have some plans for the brooder house, but for now, it sits empty, it's water empty, it's food dish removed, and the lights out... waiting for spring. 

Everyone take care in this weather that is hitting our nation on all sides. 

 

BRRRRR! The Polar Vortex has Returned!

That was the view from my front door last Sunday, January 4. 

The storm started the afternoon of January 3rd. 

That was looking out towards the deck... I had tried to shovel a path, it was too soon. 

At least fourteen inches settled on the deck... I did manage to open a  path... and have used it all week. 

I have paths through the yard, but oh, the drifts were HORRIBLE. 

On Saturday and Sunday, during the worst parts of the blizzard, I went out to refill wild bird feeders and take care of my chickens at least six times each day. It was hard.

That is what my parking area looked like on Monday morning.  As you see, Bullseye went out... looked at the deep snow, said "Ooops" and ran right back inside. 

I managed to open up a tiny path and lo and behold... My neighbor Garry and his brother appeared in a Polaris with a blade!  They scraped a good path down my very, very long drive and over to the old hen house, which made my chores on that side so easy (!) this week. 

(What I forgot to tell you is that the car had no heat or defrost for a week, and the dealer could not get it in.  I had a tarp across the windshield to keep it from icing too badly. 

It was fixed on Friday in Tongie at the garage there, and I have HEAT again. )

Then Garry got out and shoveled enough snow that I could get to the car. 

I am so grateful to them. 

As of today, Sunday the 12th, the chickens have been in ten days.  I did open the door to the covered yard of the brooder house today to see if they wanted to come out in the air... 

the answer was... Uh, NO. 

And...I found possum tracks in the covered area... I think it has been under the hen house.  I may go out there this evening (at 4) and find it in the warm hen house with the chickens. 

This is not to say I have not gotten eggs all week. The rockstar Rhode Island Reds and Indio Gigantes did me proud.  There were actually nine for two days (all nine hens laying), one was in the closet. 

I have given away nine dozen eggs in the last three days. 

I am very, very disappointed in the Columbian Wyandottes, and would not raise them again, I get very few eggs from them. 

Yes, I know it's winter. 

I would gladly add more Rhodies and a few Marans. 

Having said that, I have come to understand that I am not going to be able to use the 

brooder house I bought last year another winter.  

Shoot, I did not know we could not load videos from our phones anymore thru Blogger, or I would show you.  I'll take some pictures out there when I do chores and you will see. 

When I bought the house, I intended to put it near the water pump, and near the large and small hen houses on the west side of the yard.  The cost to trench electricity from the barn came out at 4,000.00, and yes, you read that right.  I said no.  We ended up siting it just south of the garage, and next to the barn on its east side, to bring the electricity over.  Be aware of this if you buy a pre-made, and it is not wired, and keep in mind your costs to connect to electricity. 

There is about two feet of clearance between the garage and the brooder house.  It drifted DEEPLY and I had to shovel it in frigid circumstances.  The door froze and I had to shut it all week with a fencepost braced on the barn, until it thawed yesterday.  There are six hens and a rooster in there, but... I am going to have to re-home them, I think.  They are the hens who get out through the fence almost daily... and... this carrying water in bad weather (and carrying feed) has proven very hard for my seventy four year old bones. 

So. Many. Memes. 

We were indeed, closed, all highways were closed and it was terrible driving. 

I was home five days straight, and finally got out for birdseed and feed. 

My two youngest grands were out of school all week... they were supposed to go back on Friday, but there was freezing rain. 

Precip again Thursday night.  Yes, there were moments of beauty. 

I'm over winter. 

I have spent a fortune on wild bird food, and I'm not kidding. 

I'm embarrassed to admit how much.  I am trying to let them clean up some of the sunflower this afternoon. 

Wanda is living in the big hen house for the time being.  It is 34 out right now, and I would let her out... but I am afraid I could not get her back in. 

Our weather is diving tonight, and we will be up and down all week. 

If we could get a little bit of melting, I would consider letting some of the hens out, but... I don't think it will possible this week. 

The two warming lights in the barn, along with the heater and heated water dish, have kept everyone in there (three cats) safe for the week, better than I expected, in fact.  (That's Mama in the picture) 

I have not been dumping cat food into the bin at night like I usually do, I figure anyone struggling in this weather deserves a meal. 

(possums or raccoons) 

NOT KIDDING. 

And now... the pictures everyone was waiting for...

That is a bird bathing in my heated basin in the yard.  BATHING. 

It was about ten out at the time. 

I managed to dig the basin out two days later.  

I have another fortex of water out there I dump at night. 

I have seen a LOT of these guys, a whole murder, in fact. 

And these guys, who don't come in fair weather because the cats would get them. 

Three have been coming and I bought peanuts for them especially. 

It was sure beautiful, if you were not a little creature trying to survive. 

So many cardinals, and I am not kidding.  Probably seven pair out there one evening... they are always the last at the feeders so I put extra peanuts out for them. 

I just stopped typing long enough to go put more peanuts outside and the squirrels came down out of the maple almost as soon as I did. 

The joke is on me... I am watching one eating right now at the foot of the maple, and he is eating sunflower seed with a pile of peanuts next to him! 

Beauties. 

Stranger Creek valley to the east of me. 

Finches trying to eat during the storm.  They are on the balcony rail outside my window. 

Even the eagles looked cold.  

Saturday, Sunday and Monday, they must have been in their aerie. 

Tuesday, they were back on the comm tower. 

The wind was blowing their feathers. 

Looking opposite directions. 

Click on the pictures to make them bigger. 

And... just so you know... Chico runs up and down the plowed driveway to do his business, dragging his 20 foot long leash and MAMA right behind him.  He is not going to be eagle bait. 

I was standing at my back door, which is in my bedroom, trying to take these pictures with the camera and heavy lens, and freezing to death... I did not get very good ones. 

I love these majestic birds.  They were here this morning, but a friend stopped to get eggs about 2:30, and they were gone.  To see them in the air is to feel your heart in your throat. 

My friend Kim, who lives here in Leavenworth County, and her husband Mark, raise cattle.  They have had a week like me.   

She posted this last night and I laughed my head off.  

My feelings, exactly!

Stay safe out there, friends!  

And those who are in California... my heart goes out to you and yours for your terrible losses. 

I am joking about winter, but I am so very, very blessed, and I know it. 

 

Everyone Lived

Everyone Lived. 

Those of you out in the country know those words mean a lot. 

We were down to eight below the last two nights here in NE Kansas, and it is only minus 2 right now, as I start this blog post at 10:15 AM. 

It is miserable.  My poor cats in the shop are miserable, two were under the hanging brooder lamp this morning, and the Lasko heater from last year is barely making a difference.  I bought a new Lasko heater a month ago, hooked it up one night and 24 hours later, it blew the circuit and I am afraid to use it.  I need to have an electrician come, but it was just before Christmas and.... money. 

I did buy a new heated dog water bowl when I went out and discovered the dog bowl from last year had frozen in the old hen house.   The cats are using a low basin that I used to use outside for the wildings.... and yes, friends, there IS still one outside for them and I just watched scores of birds using it, so I'll have to refill it shortly. 

 

So there have been HUNDREDS of memes over our snowy weekend here, and I am the first to tell you that the four inches we got was nothing compared to what they have gotten in many other places.... but.... the cold... brrrrrr.  

In the middle of all that, I had two lovely little fosters, Bella and Franny. 

Franny, the blonde on the left, and Bella, the darker girl on the right, had lost their mama, sadly.  They were lovely little girls, but Bella far more infirm than Franny.  Franny did NOT like the cats.  The cats were terrified of two pound Franny. 

They have gone on to a wonderful rescue in this area.  I may get Bella back as a hospice rescue, we will see. 

Of course, they were here on the coldest days of the year. 

The shop camera caught me looking down one day... and I can tell it is not from the weekend, because I am wearing a white covid mask that covers my entire lower face and keeps me warm!  I don't care how I look as long as I am warm!  Warmth is the name of the game. 

This girl is gravid, and I hope she does not have her babies in this weather, they will surely die. 

 

She was not alone.  

I have only seen one raccoon all weekend, and there was food left out on purpose the last three nights, and it is still there.  There is also a pile of food in the garage that has not been eaten.  Possums and Raccoons tend to den up in the bitter cold. 

There is a heated dog bowl on the front porch, a heated bowl in the shop, and a heated bowl in the yard.... oh, and one under the porch of the big hen house, and I am putting food out there, too. 

I need to put my boots on shortly and go out and replenish water and feed again in a few minutes. 

Just prior to the really cold snap, I caught a picture two nights in a row of a possum in Bob's heated house on the porch.  Bob is in the house, and he and Bullseye are not happy, but they are NOT going to stay out in this cold. 

We have been doing a lot of this (Bob). 

A blue jay. 

Not one, but two Cooper's Hawks, way at the bottom of my pasture, looking down on the Spehar's ponds. 

That was a water bowl I brought in from the barn yesterday.... Coco is modeling.  The cats out there have a heated basin now, and they are doing ... okay... in the cold. 

I'm seeing a LOT of these guys (crows). 

And hundreds and hundreds of these flying overhead.  The bean fields are all under snow,  I am not sure where they are eating. 

I love them and I worry about them. 

Right now, I estimate there are two to three hundred little birds out in my yard, eating, and I need to go replenish here shortly. 

The Coopers are beautiful. 

This was the ONE day it was not blowing or snowing last week, and I let the birds out .  They have been in ever since.  Buddy, the last big rooster, is suffering in this cold, his comb looks like it will fall off.  I hung a second brooder lamp in his house yesterday and I found him directly under it this morning, it is closer to the ground than the first.  I was so glad to see him under it. 

That is before the heavier snow... yes, it's beautiful, 

but so hard on animal and human and bird. 

Say a prayer that THIS human does not slip and fall and break anything, because it will mean the end of my dream here! 

Everyone be careful and be safe.