The weather outside is frightful! Moving closer to Christmas we have our first wave of below zero weather. The high is -10 and tomorrow looks to be about the same. Even though it has been getting steadily colder the temperature took a major dive last night.

I know complaining about the weather is the oldest complaint there is but on a farm chores become a little more difficult when it is this cold.

A Few Changes While its Colder Outside Than it is in My Freezer:

1.  The kids stay inside. Penelope is 9 months old now and loves to be bundled into her snow suit and pulled in the sled but I’d rather she not get frostbite on her face.
2. Water – Watering the animals is now the longest part of completing my chores because I now have to clear ice out of all the buckets and dishes before I can give fresh water. I also managed to spill a little water on my leg this morning and my pant leg froze solid within about 2 minutes.
3. Feeding – The animals eat a little more when it is this cold so I try to give them a little extra grain to offset the calories they burn to stay warm.
4. Staying Inside – The goats have been camped out in the barn while it is this cold. We do not have heat in our barn but staying inside will keep them out of the wind which combined with the extra cold temperature is dangerous.

The other main hurdle to temperatures this cold is that Everything Breaks! Keeping cars, trucks, and water pumps running while it is this cold is a chore itself.

Helpful Cold Weather Hint:

While perusing Pinterest I discovered a hobby farming hack that has been useful. Placing a gallon jug filled with 1/4 to 1/2 cup salt and about a cup of water in a water tank will help keep the ice out of the tank. I have noticed that when it is this cold there is no stopping the ice but it will reduce the amount. Also one jug works for smaller tanks but a larger tank would need two or more to reduce the exposed surface area of the water. I’m going put the salt/water mix in a water bottle to try to keep ice out of the small buckets I use for the goats in the barn. I hope it works because soon it will be consistently this cold (Hello January 😦 and 5 gallon buckets break when they are too full of ice.

While the below zero weather lasts remember to bundle up and stay safe!