A cold snap is upon us. The temperature was 10 degrees but “felt like” -2 degrees when we got up this morning. It made us glad we’d refreshed the duck coop bedding yesterday so they would stay warm and dry.
The rabbits were bouncing around as if they hadn’t noticed that temperatures had plunged. They were happy when we hung their bottles filled with warm water up for them. They do better in very cold weather than very hot.
The chickens stay cozy in their coop at night, tucking their feet under their feathers as they roost. Their poop freezes on the poop board, which is great for the dry ones and terrible for the wet ones (which just become icy splats and require a lot of effort to chisel them off). Scraping the board down takes about threes times as long as when it’s above freezing.
Chores take longer when it’s very cold, but with proper planning and gear, it’s manageable. We also know the animals are depending on us, which keeps us rolling out of bed in the morning. While cold, it’s a sunny, beautiful day, and we’ve already experienced a “morning victory” – a sense of satisfaction for our accomplishment. We hope you have a “daily victory”, too.