Even more snow!

And cider!
These each represent one of the carboys.  The farthest on the right has the most crabapple juice in it.

More snow

Cold weather and Cogburn

As the local people know, we experienced a snowstorm last weekend and very cold temperatures since then.  With this, it is beautiful so I felt compelled to take some photos.  But it is also very hard on the animals.  We have an unheated, uninsulated barn but fortunately pretty tough animals.  So they just cuddle up with one another and stay warm through the very cold nights.  The biggest problem is breaking up the ice so they can have water to drink.  

This cold weather is especially hard on older, thinner animals.  We have a rooster that Tom named Cogburn.  He was the king of the barn- the top rooster with the largest "harem" of hens.  In the last few months he stopped being the top rooster and then he lost his harem and his roosting spot.  The last few days he looked droopy.  Yesterday he looked especially droopy although he could still fly, eat and drink.  I put him in the feed shed with food and water thinking it would be a little warmer for him in there.  We found him this morning dead in there.  We have had some interesting roosters including "hitler chicken" who walked like Hitler and a one legged rooster that a neighbor kindly took in as he wasn't doing well with the others here,  but Cogburn was the best of them all.  He was a beautiful bird who strutted around but was never too aggressive.  He will be sorely missed in the barn and in our hearts.

This cold weather is also hard on my first sheep, Ebony.  She has been quite thin for a while but has eaten very well.  This morning she did not want to eat, only drink water.  I knew if she did not eat she would not do well in this cold weather.  So we moved her into the trailer with some heat, hay, grain and warm water.  I am hoping for the best.

(Re) Introducing Hazel

This  is Hazel- a satin angora rabbit who I sold 2 years ago and have bought back.  This is because both of her parents died and with them the great red genetics they carried.  Hazel is not well behaved.  I handled her daily when she was a kit but despite this she is ornery and therefore a problem for the daughter who was supposed to take care of her.  So I brought her back and sheared her and clipped her nails.  I never had a rabbit attack me before.  Now this occurred after I had started sheared her, and she was upset about it, but when I went to pick up the bits of wool she lunged at me and scratched me.  I am hoping her personality is not inherited!

Wisdom tooth blues

I had my last wisdom tooth removed yesterday evening after it had become inflamed and painful. So I had a bad day, but my dentist's day was actually worse so I can't complain too much. So today I wasn't feeling as ambitious as I had hoped and didn't get the farm chores done I had wanted too. I did manage to finish skirting my fall fleeces, weigh them, and take new photos which are below. Now I'll prepare Christmas cards to mail out tomorrow and call it a day!