# Winter snuck up on me...



## secuono (Nov 19, 2014)

It was 60-70F in the days, dropping to 25-35 at night. Then the new week starts and it's down to 35-45F days and 18-30 at night....
Tricky, sneaky weather!!  

Troughs are frozen 1.5in, rabbits have decided that since it's so cold suddenly, that they will dump all of their food every day....Gotta switch to sneakers and no more sandals and find my gloves!

Dog stole the insulation cap for the well-house spigot. Had to make my own out of some plastic pots, hay, feed bag and half a plastic cat crate to insulate it. Hopefully it'll be enough. Internet and phone died out for 2.5 days and I managed to forget to close up the shed and turn the heater on. So the dogs were pissed off at me, the rabbits were extra annoyed because all the bottles froze...ugh. Dumped a ton of hay into each cage and a little pellet into feeders after finding just enough spare bottles for everyone. They want to waste food? Fine, they'll eat nothing but hay until they get over their stupid little games! Why did I have to get back to raising rabbits.....

Pigs were cold, but up and screaming at me to hurry up and bring breakfast and new water! So demanding!! Sheep and horses waited for me to toss out ice and bring out new hay. Will need to order more hay soon, have enough for about 2wks now. Pigs are eating the hay and sleeping in it...Anyone know if pigs will eat straw?? If not, I'll look for a few straw bales so I can stop wasting good hay on pigs. I don't mind them eating some of it, but every two days, it's all eaten, bit too much going through them...

Hosting Thanksgiving. Put up the tree with the help of the two Conures, Cypher & Kirby. Well, not really help as much as slow me down. But at least they were pleasant, DH doesn't like putting up decor, so boring and lonely to do it by yourself. Husbands suck. 

New couch cover came in, birds helped put that on as well. Washing and cleaning everything, moving stuff upstairs and out of the way. Wish the floors were refinished and sealed, would make cleaning easy. Moved the birds to the window, it's their winter season cage spot. They like watching the world go by and screeching if something they don't like shows up. You know, like dogs, so typical stuff, mailman, other birds, noisy car, etc.

So yea, winter just suddenly popped up and I'm not the only one who didn't see it coming. lol. At least most of the animals have nice fur coats to keep them warm n cozy. I on the other hand, run around like a headless chicken, trying to get everything done before I loose all feeling in my toes and hands. Then I rush inside and stand over our propane heater and thaw out.   'fun!'

Anyone else not expect the sudden switch??


----------



## frustratedearthmother (Nov 19, 2014)

Absolutely not expected. 

I live south of Houston and it's only supposed to get this cold two or three days in January/February! 

And now this - a freeze in November?    Geeze....


----------



## GD91 (Nov 19, 2014)

It's crept up on us to  no ice forming yet, but one night it was fairly warm, the next - bam, I was breathing steam, the temp dropped to under 10oC and the dogs had to come in the house.
Soon I will be waking up to frozen water bottles and waterers. I'm glad we have only got 7 rabbits and  6 hens. Our one single last jumbo coturnix quail (I'm getting more, they are much quieter than chickens and do not cause the damage to my garden) was brought indoors from her big enclosure and put in her hamster cage  she is now becoming a very fat quail in the home office.

Best wishes to you, what are your winters normally like? We rarely get snow, it does ice over for about a month or two at night though.
North-west UK.


----------



## secuono (Nov 19, 2014)

Not too sure, wet and snow melts fast. But last few years have been extra cold and awful. Last year, pond froze to 6in thick!! That hasn't happened since I was 8-10yrs old and I'm 26 now. Weather is really changing now.


----------



## GD91 (Nov 19, 2014)

We've noticed it here to... winters are becoming wetter though.
There was another announcement on our news that we are heading towards irreversable climate change in a year  I'm not worried. The earth has had dramatic heatwaves and iceages numerous times, humans are intelligent enough to survive.

I don't know about the wildlife mind - that's all disappeared in my area. You are lucky if you see a fox occasionally. No squirrels, hedgehogs, barely any birds and the ones we see are of the crow family or woodpigeons + blackbirds.
It shouldn't be like that.


----------



## BrownSheep (Nov 19, 2014)

Hit us like a hammer, too, but it got us last week. The week before it was in the 60's and now we're looking forward to getting above freezing. 

We got about 8 inches of snow last Thursday/Friday
Another storm is moving in tomorrow.


----------



## GD91 (Nov 21, 2014)

We saw on the UK news what the U.S weathers been doing in places... everyone ok so far?


----------



## Hens and Roos (Nov 21, 2014)

yep winter snuck up on us too, DH has to finish a couple of outdoor projects yet for work.  Luckily, we were able to get the animals snug for winter weather and so far so good.  Sure wasn't looking forward to the cold this soon!


----------



## BrownSheep (Nov 21, 2014)

@GD91 , Most of us are probably doing just fine. We need to find a member in New York to tell us how they are. They are the ones getting really hit.


----------



## GD91 (Nov 22, 2014)

I wonder just how many people keep rabbits, llamas & alpacca, sheep & goats + cows in New York  I think the only one possible would be the rabbits   Not fair, we need those Alpacca in New York to.

They'd be great for adverts - just so much better than those compare the market elephant adds. You seen that add of the elephant jigging it's butt around? 

I think an alpacca spitting and hitting David Cameron in the face would be far better. Edd Milleband (I think thats his name) would be even better. 

Steering off of politics though, what I mean't to say was "Oh, wow! I wonder if there is anyone from NYC on here? Hmm." 

Shall we all start laying a few bets?

I'm the dumb one because I'm english  Therefore I might lose.


----------



## BrownSheep (Nov 22, 2014)

We use to have member in NYC who spun yarn but I haven't seen them on here in a while.  

I believe upstate New York is pretty farm-y but I haven't been there.  

Not fear, about English politics, it goes right over my head. I know your P.M. but that's about it.


----------

