Made It

All the animals made it through the winter storm and are doing well. I’m still watching Ted. We may give him an antibiotic since he is still acting sick. These animals did a good job of hanging in there. I am so grateful for that. Now the snow is melting and turning into a muddy nightmare, but there is moisture on the ground and here in West Texas, we always need that. I am glad the winter wonderland is about gone. 

Ursula and the Snow

I had to take out the trash. Ursula decided she needed to follow me, like she normally does. It did not take her long to realize she did not want to be out there in the snow. She actually went back to the front door and wanted back in. I guess sometimes she just has to figure out things on her own. I am ready for the snow to melt. 

Raven

Raven likes to be in the shop with those chickens. She sat in the snow in a small opening by the door for so long, I thought she was going to get frost bitten on her feet. I ended up carrying her into the shop so she would get out of the snow. I mean, I did not know what else to do. She seemed happy when I got her into the shop, so I left her there. She will be separated from her friends for a bit, but she did not seem to care about that.

The Flu

I have been hit with the flu. Probably not the best time to be sick. Ronnie has been sick, too. Caring for the animals has been hard since I am sick. I did not get out of bed for at least 3 days. I have had some company though. Oreo and Ursula have not really left my side. That sure is sweet of them. Ursula has to be right up on me. That girl is a mess. 

Pigs

The pigs are sure smart. They actually somehow built themselves walls with the straw and the snow so they could stay warm. I could not believe my eyes when I saw the walls. I mean, how smart is that? They are all doing okay. Russ looked like he might have some redness on his feet from the snow when they were out eating, but other than that, they seem to be doing as well as expected. I am glad they are hanging in there. 

Sonny

Sonny has had to be displaced from his normal spot because it is too cold. He is unable to fly up to a roost because he has a broken wing, so he stays on the ground, but where he usually stays has an opening and letting the snow and wind in. He has decided to stay with Tinkerbelle and Cinderella. That keeps him out of the wind and weather. He does have some frost bite on his comb and maybe his feet. I know he has been out and about checking on his hens. Poor guy. He did make me think of George. George was my favorite rooster and at one point when we had snow and he was stuck in one spot under the shelter for days because he would not get his feet in the snow. Sonny is staying in the same spot George did. 

Ted

Most of the animals have been doing well in this winter wonderland we have going on. Ted is really the only one that I have been concerned about. He is not eating much and he has been shivering more than the others. I am watching him as much as I can. He does have food and water out for him. He has shelter out of the wind, too. Some of the chickens are in there with him and Bill also. He may need an antibiotic. I will keep an eye out on him. 

Rena and Angel

I was concerned Rena and Angel would not get in the doghouse together and stay warm in there together, but they did. I am so glad they did. That meant they had each other and less chance of freezing. I have seen chickens freeze before and I sure did not ever want to see that again. I guess they decided to like each other, at least through the winter storm. 

Cardinal

I saw a cardinal out on the property. He sure was a pretty little thing. The red with the contrast to the snow was bright. He did not fly off when I got close. The cardinal did look at me and he did not move too much. I know the saying goes, the cardinal is a visitor from heaven. I do wonder sometimes who might be visiting me. 

Eggs

Well, the chickens are still laying eggs, believe it or not. That is not a usual thing, but it is happening. The thing is, as much as I appreciate them continuing to lay eggs, it is so cold outside that the eggs crack and what is inside freezes. That is not good. I have to throw them away or let them have the eggs back. But, since they are frozen, it still does not do any good. 

The Cats

The Cats have stayed in the shop the entire time the snow has been coming down and even after the snow stopped and it was cold out. I am glad they had a place to go. Once the temps came back up, I did see Athena and Onyx out and about, but not Yeller. Yeller has stayed inside the shop. I cannot say I blame him. The snow and ice have been so thick, the temps have been above freezing and the snow and ice is still on the ground. I do hope it melts soon. I am over it. It has been 6 days now. 

New Toy

Ursula and Oreo had torn up their scratching post. I mean torn it up. There is a big hole in the cardboard when they have scratched so far down. I ended up buying them another one. They absolutely love it. Those two played with that thing all day and then took turns with sleeping on top of that. I am so glad I bought another one when I did. The cats gave me some entertainment with the snow coming down outside. They have been through 3 or 4 of them in the later year or so. I guess that is the point though. Maybe I am just glad I got one they really like. 

Snow Day 2

Snow day number 2, the chicks did not want to get out of their coop. They were all cuddled up together. Once the door to the coop was opened, they all went over to the bales of hay and got out of the snow by staying on the hay. I am sure the hay kept them warm, too. The dogs were really not sure what to do. They have seen snow and ice before, but they do not really care for it. I am with them. The snow sure was pretty. Very few of the animals came out for any length of time. They did venture out some, but not much, only to eat and get water. The sleet and snow continued on. The cats stayed in the shop. I scared Banana again. I was glad to see him in the shop. The donkeys have a hay bale and a barn. They were mostly in the barn, but they did go out to get some hay from time to time. 

Snow/Ice

The snow and ice sure are making an appearance. It is coming down fast. The sleet started things off which you know how that works. It is not ever a good thing since then everything freezes and all that good stuff. I cannot say I really enjoy things such as that and I get really nervous about the animals. I know they will be okay, but I still get tense and nervous. I then usually think about my friend telling me one year that animals have been able to deal with the weather without us for thousands of years and just because we think they cannot make it without us, they can. I have to remember they were designed for this. Day 1 the cows and donkeys did not come out of the shelter. The horses were eating the hay on the other side of the barn. The cats were staying in the shop. Everyone really was trying to stay in the shelters. The temperatures were awful. 

Roost

I had bought a roost for the chickens and put it in their coop. I had really not seen them use it too much. I guess I had not been looking at the right time. I was out later than normal one night and I saw several of the chicks up on the roost. They sure are funny creatures. They may learn a little later than I think they should, but they do end up learning it. They still sleep in the dog crate as weird as that is when they have the roost, but whatever works for them. Those chickens are like anything else, they do what they know. That is what I taught them and that is what they continue to do. 

Horses

The weather was starting to get cold and I did notice the horses were getting prepared. I saw Jeb laying down in the barn and then a little while later I saw all the horses were over by the hay bale eating. They were actually all over there together. I was glad to see that. I know Saverine stays away from Jeb when she can. She was on one side of the hay bale and he was on the other. I am glad they are eating and getting along. It does not happen all the time. 

Snowflake and May

Well, we have a little competition going on in the shop with the chickens. May is our oldest chicken on the property. Snowflake is a younger one. May has a specific place she wants to roost. The other chickens respect that and leave her spot alone. Snowflake has decided she wants the spot May has been roosting in. It is quite the fight to see. May usually gives up which is sad to me, but she finds another spot to roost close to the one where she has been roosting. If you just sit back and watch all the moving parts around the farm, it is quite the show. It is a lot of fun.