how are your animals handling the blizzard?
 

We've had a miserable day!
when we got up this morning there were 4 foot drifts against every door, a 5 foot drift in front of the water tanks.
Sideways 45mph wind, blowing snow, zero visibility, the whole day, tapered down after dark. We were shoveling all day, and I mean all day. my back is killing me!
It took DH hours to shovel out a path with the bucket on the skid steer just so we could feed cows, and the feeders are really close right now. The cows are covered with hard cracked snow. They all look miserable.

I found a total of one turkey, one young doe goat, 4 rabbits, 7 adult potbellys, and roughly 30 some chickens buried alive. Took most of the day to dig them out. 5 chickens are dead, and we are missing at least 2 or 3 dozen more, including my pair of lakenvelders. Our big pigs were buried in their houses, but had very small holes which they nosed out of when we eventually got to their food at 2 this afternoon.

we had to dig paths to the goat houses so they could get to food and water, and my eyebrows were frozen chunks!
On a positive note, it wasnt that cold temp wise, maybe high 20's. Most of the day, I had sweat pouring down my face, DH to. His beard was a solid frozen mass by the time he finished at dark. We stopped for breakfast at 10, and never did get lunch, but we did get feed to everyone. Hours late, but better than never.
Its supposed to be zero by midnight. It is getting very cold, very fast. We only hope the chickens we dug out alive live the night.

I also think our gilt Bee might have her babies tonight or tomorrow. Its her first time, and its freezing. Nothing we can do but hope she does everything right and they dont freeze. She does have a calf hut all to herself. However, our week old potbelly babies seem to be fine.

what a miserable day.

Bless your hearts! Hope it warms up and goes away soon. Keeping fingers crossed for the piggys due!

Oh, my. Been there, done that and no matter how long you live and learn about cold climate winters they are never easy. I can remember bringing newborn calves in the house because they were chilled, pheasants that were so badly chilled they would just huddle when you picked them up and I can remember my grandmother losing chickens as well. I hope all of your livestock get through this okay.

Yeah, we've had some rough weather down here in southern Illinois also. Not much snow, 4", but the wind has been around 30-45+ all day and night. I spent just enough time outside to shovel off the porch and our cars, get some firewood inside and thats about it!
Hope your animals recover!

And i hope the piggies come out alright...maybe get them a few blankets??

Oh LFG! That sounds just miserable. I am so sorry about your birds.
I will send eggs in the spring to help refill your flock.. you just let me know.
And you and your DH take care of each other tonight.

Knowing what you know now, what will you do different to avoid these troubles for the next storm?

One good thing about the drifts is that as long as it's dry in the shelters they are pretty warm with all the insulating snow.

Fortunately for us the storm stayed south of us but I was ready for it. Sat morning I rolled some more hay bales in the goat pen and made sure their bedding was dry. Then I blocked a hole in the north side of the shelter to keep the snow from blowing into the shelter.

How are my animals fairing the blizzard weather? The chickens and peafowl are warm and cozy in their coops. If they don't start laying eggs again soon, they will be cozy in a pot. The rest of my animals have dry, wind proof shelter. Do you not have a barn or coop?
We are getting some heavy winds here right now, precipitation turning from freezing rain to snow, now. temps are dropping fast. I just went out to check on things and my fingers are froze. I didn't put on gloves, figured I'd just be a minute, man it got cold!!
Oh and about chickens, we have had one or two over the years get out and we didn't know it. Sometimes they look dead cold, but put them in heat and they come alive...lol

I dont think there was a whole lot we could have changed, except time. the potbellys got buried because we didnt get them moved in time, because our farm hand quit on us 3 days before the snow hit, doubled our last minute work load.

the turkey decided to lay and sit on eggs in the garden, so I covered her with a dog house top a few weeks ago for protection, and then she got buried. You cant move a sitting turkey and expect her to keep sitting.

the few caged chickens and 4 rabbits were in outside cages. That I except blame for, due to the fact that they could have been better covered, but again, a time thing.

The most of the chickens that got buried were free range birds that we have been trying for weeks to get them to roost in the coop. we shut them all in for a week, let them out and the most of them chose not to return to the coop. then we did it again, and the same thing happened again. then it was discovered the guineas were driving them out of the coop, so we decided to start catching guineas after dark and lock them up in another coop, and the next day, the farm hand quit.

Its a good thing I had the turkeys locked in, or they would be all dead too.

the goat is a very small one that gets shoved around by the group. she jumped into another run, and was probably sleeping in calf hut when it started snowing. that one was not properly faced for snow protection, as I dont intend on using it, and she got buried.

As far as the cow feeding issue, that is the way it is when a storm's a blowin'. nothing you can do about that.
we were actually more prepared this year, than we ever have been, due to having a farm hand.

so, yes, we learned something, we always learn something.

Chickenista, thanks for the offer, I would love some of your birds in the spring. let me know when you start hatching and we can deal then..

The cattle did very well, moreso than I expected. They came to check on me, then went back out to the corn field to look for a bit of cornstalk to nibble on. Hard to find here in southern MN the wind put most of the 10 inches or foot or whatever we had here on the plains into anything it could blow it into.

The buildings are quite full of snow, it blew hard & long, put snow in areas I hadn't seen snow before.

The cats - well we lost one of our old-time gals today, she was a real piece of work, lived to get her head petted for her 9 or so years, but had a bad set of lungs, surprised she made it this long as a barn cat, she was a real joy around the farm, one of the first kittens my wife (a town gal) had here from the 3 cats she got from a co-worker, so we cried a little.

Now it is minus 19, so trying to catch up on anything tomorrow - well later this morning - is going to be difficult. Just gonna have to try to break even this week, keep up with what needs doing.

Wore out from getting the places dug out today, those were some hard drifts, difficult to walk around until I got the blower going & could make some walking room. And had to ride the clutch all afternoon, the hard deep drifts were a workout for the blower too.

My body doesn't like high pressures, and of course to be minus 19 there is a doozy overhead, so between the cat, worrying about the cold, and my knees aching, here I sit on the keyboard. ;)

--->Paul

What a rough go for you Northerners. I used to live in MI, and I remember very well shoveling a path to the barns, only to have the high winds drift them closed shortly afterwards. *Miserable* doesn't seem to convey the feeling very well. There must be a stronger word out there :)

Here in MO, the high winds have been the main misery factor. Some sunshine peeking thru seemed to help - a little. At the moment we're dealing with single-digit temps, and the wind hasn't stopped yet.

Oh, well. We gotta do what we gotta do to get through it. Sending you all positive energy!

It's -20 F here this morning. Before work I'll give the goats a bucket of warm water and a generous bucket of BOSS and some alfalfa pellets for heat.

I built the shelter to protect from the cold winter wind so I'm sure they are inside huddled together sleeping on dry straw.

The bulk of the snow in our area went south of us. We didn't get as much snow as they said (thankfully). DS is out of school today due to drifting on the roads. My animals seem to be fine. They aren't spending as much time at the hay feeders though the feeders are out of the wind. I fed my cow some hay inside her shelter today so she could munch more. The sheep are apt to just stand there and enjoy the snow falling on them. Everyone else is inside the barn. No frost-bitten combs this morning. I am grateful for that. With some creative cattle panel angles, the sheep share the water with the cow. I only have to have one heated trough this way. Having electricity at the barn is a blessing for us. So far so good, but winter is really just starting.

The cows did quite well through the blizzard.
We weren't quite prepared for the wind coming straight out of the north so we had to scramble getting snow moved to provide extra windbreaks.
Milk production hasn't suffered but it wasn't any fun keeping the doors open in the parlor so the cows wouldn't "melt" while we milked them yesterday.
Wind is calm now and they look as happy as they could be eating on the round bales and laying on the leftovers.
We lost one bull calf when we put some bigger heifers in the hoop house with the younger stock.
We don't have water piped anywhere so we have to run a hose out of the milkhouse to the animals and hang heaters in the tubs but it gives us a chance to keep an eye on things.

My turkeys are in an enclosed building with heated water and feed.My silkies are in a small building with a red heat lamp over the waterer and they are very comfortable.My laying hens and guineas are in an enclosed building with a heat lamp over the waterer.My cattle have a cattle shed to go into and a protected heated tank of water.My biggest problem is getting around the yard due to the snow.
It appears to me that you are not even close to being prepared for winter.You can not have free range poultry in the winter.That is a death sentence to them.You also can not have a turkey setting outside in the winter.It appears that you have more stock than you are prepared to care for properly.This sounds harsh but you need to think about these things.I hope you are able to get things straightened out.

We got 10 inches of snow over the weekend by us + 40mph winds made for a nasty blizzard-like day.

I went out to do chores yesterday morning and the large window in the coop was blown open about 2 inches... just enough for a lot of snow to get inside. Poor chickens, there was about 2 inches of snow on one side of the coop. I have heated water bases so their water never freezes, I just need to refill and freshen it up.

Some of the younger chickens seemed bothered by the snow and were huddled together, but everyone was upright. The older hens who have been through a couple of winters didn't seem too bothered by the whole thing. I gave them a few dried corn cobs to keep them busy for a bit - they were clucking happily when I closed them back up. I think I'll add a bit more straw to the coop today.

It never fails that I need to make repairs on the coop in the worst possible weather. No matter how much planning I do in the summer months! I nailed that window shut so it'll stay closed until spring.

Our dogs didn't even want to go out yesterday - with the nasty wind and temps dropping fast... even the St. Bernard didn't want to be out much longer than 10 minutes. The cats are doing fine, they keep shelter in our garage and were snuggled up in their cat beds most of the day. Now that the temps are around zero, they won't venture out much. They have food and water in the garage, so there isn't a whole lot of reason for them to go out.

We didn't get a lot of snow but the wind was wicked and pushed what we did have into small drifts you. At least that scraped clean other areas. Our big issue was whether DH could drive to St. Louis to catch a flight to Chicago where he will be working with clients in house this week. He's a computer software trainer and can usually do the training on line from home. This time, his clients were in a rush to get their training completed. Yesterday all but two flights to Chicago out of St. Louis were cancelled including his initial booking. However, he was able to take the first of the two remaining flights even if it were delayed just over 1 1/2 hrs. Last night the local news reported that some 1500 flights into Chicago had been cancelled so he was very lucky to have arrived safely and in time.

Our overnight low was 0o and when I went to feed at 7:30, the wind chill was -16. UGH. The chickens are just fine in their hoop house, especially now that the sun is striking it. When outdoor temp was in the low teens yesterday, the hoop houses were in the upper 40's.

The barn has a few openings through which snow drifted but the important areas should melt by this evening. The goats--all Nubians--have their coats fluffed to the max and are finding spots to sun themselves this morning. When I left the barn, they all had their heads in the hay feeders. I'll go back out at midday to check water and hay and collect eggs. The Pyrs and German shepherd don't seem to mind so much. Our old male has been happy to sleep in the barn but during hot weather, he wanted in the house in the worst way. The GSD is our house dog and while she loves being outside for her patrols, she's happy to come back inside quickly enough. One of our barn cats is doing just fine. The other is about 12-13 and thin despite all the food I offer him--commercial dry feed ad lib, canned food, eggs scrambled with a little bacon fat and other scraps. There are lots of little nooks where he can sleep despite having a pet taxi filled with hay for their comfort. This old cat has been so aggressive towards the younger cat all their time here (both rescues) that now the young cat is paying him back in kind. I can't bring him inside because he "sprays" despite being neutered.

I would like to publicly thank the genius who figured out stock tank heaters, heated buckets and bowls and freeze proof faucets. What a godsend!

I hate to hear about all the trials you more northern folk have faced, especially to be criticized by others for the capricious weather's effects and just plain bad luck, but I'm sure glad it wasn't any worse here. Our tractor, a '53 Ford Jubilee, has been on the fritz so I'm praying we don't get any more snow until after DH gets home. I can't get out with our pick up so I've asked my neighbors to keep an eye in this direction for the week.

I moved large round bales in the rain Saturday to get ready. I put them in the corners of my small winter feed field with a poly electric wire in front. If need be, I can slide the wire close to the bales to auto feed.

Other than that, I hand feed my small herd to minimize the waste.

We missed the worst snow.

It was more uncumfortable working in the rain Saturday than the snow yesterday. It was windy but I was warm enough working in my jeans yesterday.

this morning, I found one dead chicken and 2 dead guineas, but the missing tom turkey and my lakenvelder roo appeared from somewhere doing fine. we also discovered several chickens had taken storm refuge in the pig huts.

and no piggy babies yet. the temperature plummeted to zero over night, and none of the chickens we found buried alive died except one.

That's good news! Sounds like you lucked out.

We woke up to -20 so it's probably headed your way.

its 5 or 6 right now, and supposed to be -2 tonight, zero tommorrow and then a little warmer after that. Hopefully it will stay sunny. there is alot of digging still to do and that pig will have those babies sooner or later..

It was 5 this morning. We had a new calf in the barn, thank goodness she had it in there.The rest of the cows take turns going from behind the Privacy fence to eat at the round bales. I had taken the rabbits and put them in the greenhouse- they are having a Party! The chickens are all ok.Our wind came right out of the east,instead of the NW as usual. We are in the Thumb. Supposed to get 5-6 more inches today.

My poor doggie almost froze to death. I feel terrible. Friday night we had a hard and very cold rain. She got tangled somehow, but finally got herself loose. It must have been early in the morning when it happened. She was trying to get into her dog house.

I found her on my back porch shivering in the morning. I felt terrible and I still do. I dried her off, she wouldn't come in the house for some reason, and fed her a hefty meal. We had a light snowfall all day Sunday, and was in the 20's. I got up regularly last night to check on her and she was warm and toasty in her cedar chips and doghouse.

But I still feel bad about it! :(

digApony :(

So sorry to hear about your troubles and losses from the blizzard. Hope things improve soon and that you find your missing critters.

Be well!!

I remember the blizzard of Halloween day in 1991, it was worse than this storm. I now make sure everything is ready for winter before hunting season really gets rolling the first week of October.

Everybody faired well and the horses were happier after I cleared out some drifts in their pen and dug out the outdoor trough. They still had fresh hay in the run in shed though.

I remember that, I lived in rural western Wisconsin then, I moved south the next year.
People may complain about the heat in Texas but you don't have to shovel 100 degree temps.

Fowl have to be the stupidest animal. They never know when to come out of the cold. Hens laying in cold puddle with chicks.. like DUH'. I remember my 1st cold winter here. 20 degree's colder than where I was raised. This was when we learned how leaky all the old barns here were. well -20 wind chill was upon us, the barn was awful. Chickens combs were freezin. So I decided I better put the birds in cages and put them in my garage. I laid a tarp in my garage, placed the cages on them. I had a garage that was under the house. House on hill, and you could pull under the house. anyway, I filled it with cages of chickens. One night we were having our wine party, and the birds started like singing. anyone ever hear when they do that? They all start singing together in such harmony, they really do sing great. OMG it was so loud in the house. I about crawled under the couch. My company was like what is that?...lol They sang for about 5 minutes, non stop. There must been 50 birds under my house for about 2 weeks...lol

well they say these are record storms, but I am sure I've seen a lot worse..

our paths continue to drift back in when we get them cleaned out..and the cats don't want to go out of the house for more than a few minutes..even on the paths..

kinda glad I didn't build any barns or put in any domestic animals this year..maybe we'll be able to next year

Everything did fine in this part of KY. Spent Sat. finishing up water lines and hydrant. Made for a miserable day shoveling frozen dirt and sticky clay---then around 2 pm came the rain. I finished by 6 pm under tractor light. Went back out a bit yesterday to shovel in some that had settled. This morning it was several inches on the ground, 12 wk old bassett puppies playing in the snow, buddah buddah the turkey running toward me for a grain handout, and the water still working at the hydrant. I suppose tomorrow morning will tell if I did a good enough job on the water lines since the temps are to be bottoming out tonight.

Sorry to hear of your troubles. Hope things get better.
Usually I have enough chickens for my the size of my house for them, that they keep it warm enough both for themselves and to keep the black rubber water bowl from freezing.
However, one winter a few years back, with the wind chill it was -50 below. Several of my hens froze to death. Sad day. Now, if it gets below 0 with the wind chill, I turn on a heat lamp for them.
All our critters are doing o.k. No one is shivering, so far. Keeping food and warmer water in front of them, blocking the wind and extra bedding for everyone.
I don't really mind being out in the weather if I know I'm making a difference in caring for our livestock.
jd

We only have about 6" total here in central VT. We have actually been quite lucky, a few times we have gotten rain, but if it had been four or five degrees colder it would have been snow. For right now, it is just the right amount for the dogs to go tearing out the door like, "YEAH, BABY! WOOHOO!"

Last night the temps dropped to -6, not sure what the wind chill was. I'm so glad I put an extra whole bale of straw into the chicken coop last night and gave them some additional treats. I usually let the chickens scratch through the straw and distribute it wherever in the coop... but last night I pulled it mostly apart myself to make sure we had additional coverage in the corners and "bedding areas".

The older hens sleep on their roosts snuggled next to each other. But my younger, 16-week old chickens snuggle together in a straw nest on the ground.