Before snow flies

The Getting Ready For Snow to-do list is always one of the longest ones. Perhaps if I write it down, it has more chance of getting done. Here’s hoping.

  • Get up the final two wading pools. They are currently frozen to the ground, filled with disgustingly dirty frozen water. But surely it will thaw enough before the snow comes next week that we can get them emptied and moved into the loft. If not, they are ruined. We’ve never had one survive a winter left outside.
  • Pull up the hoses and drain them. We’ve been hauling water in buckets for weeks because the hoses are frozen to the ground. See above re: surely we will have a thaw.
  • Decide on what we’re going to do for heated water in the chicken coop. Punt and make them share with the water fowl? Sort out the electric that is running out there via extension cord?
  • Get more roosts into the chicken coop. There is plenty of room for the number of birds we have in there, but we need more roosts.
  • Cut a small door into the coop. The small door that is there is pretty much impossible to use, and opening up the big door lets out so much heat. We lived with that all last winter, and it was a pain.
  • New doors on old barn Make the last remaining door for the barn. We got the big barn door built (FINALLY!) but the missing door is the one that faces the direction that the wind and storms come from, so closing that in will help so much in keeping the barn warm and usable. We have all of the wood and the hinges, just need to actually make the door and hang it.
  • Ducks in trees Clip wings on remaining chickens, turkeys, and ducks. We have far too many ducks roosting in the trees, which would be fine if we didn’t want their eggs, but we do. I know they are laying somewhere, but I haven’t a clue where. I think we have six or seven boys that will go at Christmas along with the geese, but getting an actual number would be good as well, as I have people asking to buy duck as well as goose.
  • Figure out which geese are headed to freezer camp at Christmas. We got this year’s crop of goslings banded, but haven’t figured out how many boys vs. girls there are, and how many boys must go. Also, get the jerk in the adult geese flock who is constantly fighting marked so he goes for sure.
  • Reorganize the crap in the center of the barn so that we can move the grain room from the stall to the center. We need that stall for the waterfowl nesting in the spring, and the only way that is going to happen is if we stop using it ourselves.
  • Get the tractor here finally. We promised to move it before snow flies and are down to the final week.
  • Pull up the electronet and get it up in the loft, or we’ll be tripping over it all winter and yet more will be torn up and ruined.
  • Figure out where the naughty chickens are laying now. We found one huge nest last week, cleaned it out, and haven’t found the new spot yet. Found it. Got hay loaded up in the nesting boxes again so maybe that will help.

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