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Monday, February 17, 2014

You could have knocked me over with at (turkey) feather!

It goes without saying that everyone on the Little Lucky is suffering from cabin/coop/barn fever.  After the latest onslaught from the Great Endless Winter, I was up at my usual 4A, shuffled to the sliding glass door to let Scrappy out and....caught myself before I slid the door open.  All 16+ inches of snow would have come tumbling into the room.  Heave large, loud sigh.  I shuffled back to the bedroom and threw on my barn clothes, grabbed a broom to keep the snow OUTside, and shoveled a path over the deck, down the steps, through the poultry yard and over to the coop.  Scrappy was glued to my heels.  We then went back into the house, where I steeled myself with a cup of tea (still no coffee, dammit) and contemplated the miles of shoveling still ahead.

Long story short, I ended up shoveling paths to the barn, along the side of the barn, to the front of the barn, down the one paddock slope to the sheep gate, behind the sheep gate, around the water bucket, to the shed, ad nauseum.  Then I strapped on my snowshoes and slogged to the front of the house, where I shoveled some more.  When it snows more than six inches, I cannot get my front door open.  All in all, I think I shoveled for five hours.  Then my dairy farmer neighbor showed up with his tractor and front end loader and removed the four foot ice dam left by the snow plows from the foot of the driveway.  He came back with his plow truck and cleared my driveway.  I love my neighbors.

I've been trying to keep boredom at bay in the chicken coop, as they can get up to all kinds of mischief when they're bored.  I keep an area shoveled in front of their door so that they can come out and I put a flake of hay in the middle, which keeps them entertained for hours.  While they are outside, I take advantage and clean things up inside.  It was on one of these cleaning reconnaissance maneuvers that I discovered someone had laid a very large egg by the chicken door.  I put it in my pocket and didn't think anymore of it.  The next day I was filling their feeder and found Thomas the Turkey crammed (unsuccessfully) in a nesting box.  A tiny, dim bulb clicked on.  Holey Moley - Thomas is a Thomasina!  Now I am busy fashioning a larger nesting box for her, as she tends to smoosh any chicken eggs in the box when she jackknifes her way in.


I provide evergreen branches for the sheep and goats, and have managed to shovel some pathways for the shorties so they can get out and move around.  Looking ahead to this week's forecast, they call for weather in the 40s to 50, with rain.  I can envision going from knee-deep snow to knee-deep mud overnight.  Joy.

15 comments:

Buttons Thoughts said...

WOW that is a lot of snow if I lived closer I would show up with my tractor for you. Thomasina the Turkey oh gotta love that. Hope it melts soon to ease your work load. Hug B

jaz@octoberfarm said...

what a tough winter for everyone with animals. we have a big storm on the way for tonight. stay warm!

DFW said...

That's a beautiful egg.

Mt Devon Meanderings said...

We had thunder this morning, never sounded so beautiful. I think Spring is actually gonna come after all. In the mean time, snow is moving out and mud is moving in.

Unknown said...

Wow, report back how it tastes? Have you though about buying a snow blower?

Susan said...

Buttons - Oh, wouldn't that be nice? I am happy to have all the moisture - just would have liked it spread out a bit.

Susan said...

Jaz - You take care, too. We have a little more snow headed here tonight and tomorrow, but the rest of the week looks more bearable.

Susan said...

DFW - Isn't it, though? I hope she lays another one - I just finished putting a nice, big nesting box in the coop for her. Of course, I am sure everyone else will use it and she will continue to cram herself into the small ones.

Mt Devon - Thunder! How wonderful! Wish there was someway to segue into spring without all the mud - but I'll take it over snow right now.

LHB - I can't wait to try it! I don't want a snow blower, as I am trying to stay away from petrol-driven tools. I try to look at shoveling as good cardio-vascular exercise.

Michelle said...

You would make any pioneer proud, woman! I'm Glad Thomasina rewarded you. ;-)

Fiona said...

We had a LOT of snow here and my dear "R" went and shoveled the front lawn under the bird feeders as {A} I couldn't wade out there to refill the feeders and {B} the birds couldn't eat on the ground and peck up the spillage from the feeders. We were woken to the end of the world yesterday when the "Foot Plus of snow" slid off the metal roof with the most amazing whoomff...THUD! A most resounding crash to put the fear in you!

Good neighbors are a real blessing! The turkey egg is awesome too. My last Turkey hen had mental issues....she collected golf balls and would set on them...then carefully push out of her nest her own eggs!

Spring is in the air!

Love your posts!

Candy C. said...

Turkey eggs, how fun! I hope she figures out the new bigger nesting box is for her.
I think I would rather have snow than mud...
I saw a post at Tilly's Nest last week where she put up a mirror in the coop for the chickens. It was pretty neat!
http://www.tillysnest.com/2014/02/down-home-blog-hopnumber-75-diy-mirror.html

Florida Farm Girl said...

Oh, dear. All that shoveling does not sound like fun at all! Sure hope the warming trend continues for you guys.

Judy T said...

Hopefully, the chickens will continue to lay in their own nest boxes. I can just imagine the chickens piling into the big one and she continues to cram herself into the smaller ones.
I don't envy your snow. We had about 4 inches on top of ice this morning. We seem to get a couple of inches every few days. I've stopped adding it up....

Susan said...

I had no idea turkey eggs were so pretty.

Jenyfer Matthews said...

How's that fancy snow shovel you got last year working out for you?

I got home today and shortly after the city plow truck passed by and left a huge mound of snow at the end of my driveway. My kind neighbor came over with his snow blower just as I was wondering how long it was going to take me to move all that with my shovel!