Weather forecasters are saying from Monday night until Friday afternoon we will be at below freezing temperatures.
Tuesday night, low 0 degrees, Wed low 2 degrees. Snow possible Tuesday.
Not liking this one bit. Mostly am concerned about the frozen water for the roosters and donkey. The hens here should be fine, I have a light in their coop.
Here comes the Arctic blast!
You must be father north than we are. We have a prediction of 30's during the day and low 20's at night. February is often the coldest month in TX. They did mention possibility of sleet at one point, not sure if we are sill under that prediction or not.
so far the lowest this time is only supposed to go to 32 but that can change before it gets here
Sleet and snow is predicted for Denton (north of Dallas) that ,is for Tuesday, and then very cold for the rest of the week. I don't have any animals to worry about...just the cat, who seems to enjoy being outside when it is cold, the nut!
Yes, I am near Amarillo.
It will go down to 30 something here along with rain..ugh...
rained all night here and supposed to be pretty bad rains again Tuesday before the cold arrives
My Son and Daughter In Law live near Dallas. I had to laugh at her--she was born in Alaska and she told me a few days ago on the phone it was cold there.
If you put your chickens together, they will share each other's body heat and be ok that way. Also, I cover my cages, pens, with plastic sheeting and tarps.
I also have a carpet over the cages and that has kept the Serama's very warm. I could feel the heat coming out when I opened up the cover's.
Hope this helps.
CS
It's an ice wonderland outside. The electricity has been off and on. The chickens aren't bothered because the cold & high winds haven't hit yet, that comes tonight. Schools are closed. I don't mind being iced in but not having electricity is another story. Hope everyone in the path of the storm stays safe and warm.
Hi Annie! You can get a generator at Schucks Auto for around three hundred bucks that will at least keep the heat and lights on during a power outtage. Stay warm and safe my friend...Hay
A generator is always on my list and then I never get one. Ha, this might do it for me though. The electricity has stayed on for over an hour with no flickering. I expect that will change later when the real blast gets here - like all this ice isn't enough. I had to break ice to get the gates open this morning. Yesterday I bought several gallon jugs of water, have buckets of water in the garage, all the chicken waterers are filled as are the spare ones so they can go right into the coop when needed. My dogs are loving this snow and ice!
I'm sorry.. that is just too hard for me.. I am a self proclaimed sissy.. You all dealing with that weather just shows how tuff you are!
some rain but wow the winds are blowing like a hurricane. I have limbs down everywhere. Poor chickens and ducks are scared with all the thumping and bumping going on
It's solid ice outside. Some of the trees aren't going to survive this and supposedly the worst is yet to come. Getting to and from the coop is a challenge, we have to carry a bag of sand to sprinkle on the groud as we walked and use a shovel for as a snow ski. Wow, don't ever remember so much ice, and it's still coming down! Winds and snow are supposed to come later. The electricity is still on but we're ready if it goes off. My car isn't in the garage - the 2 Girl's are brooding in there - my car is encased like a giant ice cube, I couldn't even get the door open! I cooked, cleaned and caught up around the house. If the electricity goes off tomorrow I can sit around and read a good book!
Stay warm and safe everyone!
We had a few inches of snow but that was it. It is 5 degrees right now, -2 last night, high 9 degrees today, with high winds and dangerous wind chill.
My grandson and I put a glass of water outside so he could watch it turn to ice. It was our "little experiment". He was excited to see it this morning. Pretty sure he and I are on the same level. He is three years old. We have fun together. We sometimes take walks and talk about the birds and leaves and all kinds of things. He is all about learning at this age. Everything is EXCITING, even ice in a glass!
Am quite concerned about my donkey and roosters. Haystack has a great idea concerning a generator. I saw a cheap $150 one that might be enough to keep some lights or water warmers going when it gets bad at the horse lot and I can't get out there. I need a generator education course.
If I had a 3500 watt generator, does it put out 3500 watts all the time, no matter what I have plugged in or does it only generate the amount it needs? I am generator illiterate. Guess if I wanted it to run several days I'd need one that held quite a bit of gas, even if I don't need too many watts. WHY IS EVERYTHING SO COMPLICATED??
A generator is definitely on my wish list.
Wow. Sorry about the coooooold...weather....... Now, no one has mentioned this, but you have fireplaces, right? It would make me feel better to know.... I am having trouble thinking about you guys with no lights and heat.
Be careful out there.......
I am ready for the blast. Got gas for generator,food, and water..all animals taken care of..That wind rain storm blew here around 7 am and temps have slowly dropping all day and into the nite. UGH..hate cold weather!!
I have a wood burning stove I can access if need be. Thanks for caring. Also my house has gas that is not controlled by electricity, so even when we've lost power, I still have heat and light from the stove.
I hope everyone and all the critters are okay tonight.. and all through this storm.
We have 27 right now with 18 mph winds. Winds were stronger earlier so they have died down a bit. The real feel temp is 14. Hope all our chickens will be okay. It was 74 just the other day.
waaaaaaaaaaaaaaa they lied. Now after a torrential down pour it is supposed to be freezing here in the morning too. Supposed to feel like 12 degree with the wind chill factor. We down south just don't do 12 degree gracefully
Yes, and it will be here for four days way below freezing. All the water is frozen. Our wind chill right now is minus 19.
Weird because we've had 70s temps off and on for weeks, no rain or snow though. Usually we have temps in the 40s and 50s in the winter, and three or four really big snows. Not this year.
Edited to say: Not that we don't get some really low temps from time to time. It is normal. The lowest temp I've ever seen here was -12.
The reason it's bothering me so much is I'm fifty miles from home, and am concerned about those roosters and sweet donkey. I'll probably drive home tomorrow and then drive back, just to water and check on them.
This message was edited Feb 1, 2011 10:20 PM
LFJ: Whatever you do, do not drive that fifty miles alone. Those kind of temps are nothing to mess with. Loosing an animal is hard enough but risking your life for the animal is not ok with me. If you insist on that drive you make darn sure you have everything you need to stay warm and alive if anything should happen to your car...Please be very careful of any decisions you make during this weather...I don't worry about all of you very well...Hay
Donna I swear you do such an excellent job at making me laugh, this weather worries me for all of you, but yet you make me laugh...what a princess...
Moodene, Just hearing you say how much you don't like cold weather, makes me roll with laughter. Just suck it up and enjoy it my dear...LOL...Haystack
There is NO way to enjoy cold weather when you have a farm!
5:49 am, and minus 4.
Thanks Hay. I didn't even think of that, but yes it's something to consider. The roads seem to be okay, and I'm quite familiar with the area. There should be enough traffic on these particular roads I shouldn't be in much danger if my car broke down, but yes I'll take blankets, water and snacks. It was a good idea, appreciate your concern.
My hens at home should be doing ok. They at least have a light in their house. The only thing about that is, I wonder about fire sometimes.
Can you believe I'm considering getting rid of those two mean red silkies? They are just bullies! They won't even let my new pretty blue hen into the pen to sleep. I put them on freecycle, and got an offer to take them off my hands right away. So, I left my blue hen in the house in a box so she would be safe from the bullies and be warm. It's really hurting me though to think I would trust these two bully girls to a stranger, after all I raised them from babies. Does this sound like someone who could actually raise chickens and sell them? Maybe this will be my first big hurdle. One good thing about it, I can just leave them in a box on the porch and say, "Come and get them" and won't have to meet and talk to the person about it. I'm such a wimp in this way.
Of course now, I'm also considering keeping them and using them to hatch out eggs. If I need an excuse to keep them I have one.
Hay,I am understanding you shooting those chickens now. Pretty sure they killed one of my chicks last year pecking them on the head. This is also not characteristic silkie behavior. I remember SilkieChick remarked one day she didn't believe these red silkies were really pure silkies but had something else bred into them. I agree with her, these from Ideal Poultry are very odd.
The person that wants them said they have five hens now and would love to have them.
Looked out the window ths morning to my chicken building looks like im gonna have to dig my way in today.This is a picture of my front door to the building the back door is worst.
Oh, my! What's the structure buried in the foreground?
I got up to 18 degrees this morning and that was at 8 am but it actually felt like 5 with the wind factor. All the chickens seem to be doing fine and the ducks busted through their ice covered pond to take a swim. Sun is shining now and it is 23 degrees at almost 11:30 am. They are still saying 1 to 3 inches of snow on Friday, although the moisture is suppose to come from the Gulf so we may be too far north to get much. Last year all the snow was farther south. Though we got a heavy snow last year, none stuck but it did down south, go figure.
Beautiful picture She-Wolfie.
Its 8 here right now at 2.16 pm it snowing,was not supose to start untill 3 or so but started at 9;30 this morning.I don`t think we will get much up here to the north but down around the cost and southren Maine are going to get a foot or more,we have been lucky so far this winter not a lot of snow.The winter bi-athalon is going on here so they really would like more snow than what we have,the russians flew in Sunday and another plane load of athletes flew in after them,I don`t really follow sports to much but it makes the local news so I do know a little of whats going on.
gray, gloomy,38, windy, & pure sleet right now. Hmmmm might get snow if this keeps up
Our power went out Tuesday evening. It was sleeting and everything was encrusted in ice. Power lines snapped, trees fell over (none in our yard) but at least the temps weren't below zero. We're not good pioneers. We gave the chickens an extra bale of shaving, filled extra waterers, packed up some stuff, grabbed the dogs and went to a hotel. My DN went swimming in the hotel pool and my DH and I took turns going back home every couple of hours to check on the chickens. They didn't skip an egg! It was fun for my DN to be out of school and swimming mid winter. As soon as the electric lines were repaired early this evening we came back. There's no place like home LOL
We are supposed to get sleet/snow tonight but nothing but extra cold so far. The power company has been staging rolling blackouts to keep over-use of power from the colder-than-normal week from blowing their generators or something. There was a comical disaster at the "Y" when the treadmills suddenly stopped and all the walkers/runners fell off on one another. No one was hurt.
We were suppose to get snow, but since there was a "warm layer" at 5000 feet, it melted the snow and now all we have is ICE. And, it isn't suppose to melt for most of the day since we are below freezing and temperatures are dropping at the moment not rising. I think I would rather have had the snow.
For those of you that have asked about Dave, (My Friend with cancer) I spoke with him this morning, I also spoke with his Dr. They have given him up to two week to live at the most. He asked if he could come live with me but they won't let him. The Dr. explained that his last several days will be too painful and he will need strong meds given with IV's. He requested that I be with him when he passes and so they have agreed to set up a special room for he and I. I will leave here Monday and stay with him til he passes. He asked me to thank all of you for your prayers and he is now ok. He also asked if I would bring a rooster so he could teach him the Lords prayer. Dave is a wonderful man with a sense of humor up to the end. I do want to thank all of you for your prayers and loving concern and we both are doing fine and have reminded each other of the fact that this has been our goal for over forty years now...Love to all of you...Haystack
Haystack, my prayers are with you and Dave. I have not seen any ice or snow here at my place. My temps having gone down pass 33.1 yet. it has rained abit just enough to coat everything wet but under our cars, the concrete is dry. No ice on walkway yet..all my chickens are out and they have had their morning treat of cracked corn and my chicken treats I bake for them. My greenhouse and hothouse has been going for 24 hours since Wednesday and still warm in there. Caught a hen sneaking under the plastic that I have over my door to go lay an egg in the greenhouse..LOL..she hasn't come out yet but don't blame her if she wants to stay in there..
I have been asked about my piggy, Daisymae..She is in her house under a pile of hay with my dog name Babebera-great pryenees I have..so Daisymae is warm n toasty as well...
We don't plan going anywhere while there are some people who can't seem to quit driving so fast on the road and forget about the black ice.
You're a good man Haystack.
Hay, I have been thinking of Dave. He has run his race in about to claim his prize. Think of the wonder he will see shortly and to think he will rest in the arms of Jesus. I long for that day. Please tell him we are still praying for him, that his final journet will be one of peace and triumph. I will be praying for you as well as you comfort him on his way.
A very big THANKS to all of you in support, prayer, and well wishes to Dave and I both. I agree Cajun, he is in for a great triumphant entry into the presence of the Lord soon. This is always the struggle to the Christian, to be with friends her or to be with our Lord there...being torn is sometimes difficult but very worth the struggle...Hay
I pray for strength and peace to you both.
I had a dream the other night, that I was in a small car and it fell off a cliff and was upside down falling. Knowing this was "it" I prayed, "God forgive me for my sins and accept me into your kingdom".
Then I woke up. It had felt so real. It would be nice to leave this earth, IMHO, but apparently I am supposed to be here for now.
I want to go quickly without too much pain when I go. These men that have the heart attacks while working have the right idea I think. Here one minute, gone the next.
Sorry but I find your desire a little funny. Wouldn't everyone want to go with no pain? Some even think it's just a pain to go at all...This is not morbid if you see clearly. Dave and I will have a lot of laughs in his last days...For those who truly believe it should be seen as a celebration of sorts. Yes we have emotional ties here but for the believer, But we are Citizens of two worlds and sometimes it's hard to choose between them, but eventually the choice will be made for us and we will enter into a place where TIME will cease but it will be replaced with ETERNITY...Now whats wrong with that I ask...Hay