The Worst Of Winter

The fantail pigeons seem do be doing well, protected in their room inside the barn. Three elderly birds died over the winter, but they had lived long lives and I don't think the weather affected them:

 The little hen who molted too late has been inside the house, growing feathers. I plan to put her back out with the other chickens when the weather warms up to more reasonable temperatures:

 But reasonable temperatures is not what we've had lately. One day we were buried in snow and the temperatures dropped to below zero (F). I found the cows at the barn door the next morning, begging to come inside for grain:

 I had to get the little horses in their stalls first, and then I let the cows inside:

 They came in, all covered with snow, and began scarfing down grain. I gave them extra:

 And then they didn't want to go back outside. I had to push them back out:

 They had only about 15 feet to reach the bale feeder, but the wind was blowing frigid snow and it was miserable indeed:

 Amy and Jasmine held back. bracing themselves against the cold wind:

 I had deep snow on my porch to be shoveled, and up to three feet of snow in the driveway, where the wind had piled it, to be moved with the tractor bucket:

But the coldest temperatures had not yet been realized. It dropped to -18 (F) one night. I don't know how the animals could stand it, but their species has evolved to survive such weather:

 And they came into the barn again the second morning for more grain:

A couple of them refused to come in at all on the third morning. I guess they felt satisfied with their hay. I carried out bowls of grain for the few who wouldn't come in - but on the next morning, when they all refused, I closed the barn door and went back inside the house.: