Around The Farm In Snowy January

We've already had plenty of cold, snow, ice and wind, though of course I know there will be much more to come. The white fantail pigeons are locked up safely inside the barn and seem to feel safe and even comfortable:

 They have a complex community of alliances, quarrels, romances and communications:

 The neighbors across the road brought in a relative's horse to keep their lone boy company. I see the two of them sometimes watching my minis from across the road, and of course there is much excitement from both sides of the road when an Amish horse trots by. Notice the full moon in this photo:

 And less you be deceived by the things I write that farm life is constantly picturesque and charming, I present Blue and Remy's frozen water bucket as I found it one morning. There was frozen manure atop the ice, which I thought was solid, right down to the bottom. I used a brick hammer to dislodge the frozen poop before bringing the bucket into the house to thaw and discovered that there was indeed water under the ice. When the hammer broke through the ice, cold water and dissolved manure sprayed up in my face and across the front of my jacket. Yet I still had to bring it indoors to thaw:

 The chickens don't seem to have a society as complex as the pigeons, yet they enjoy their little indoor community:

 But the constant here is the presence of winter - cold and windy. Sometimes it is beautiful, but no one ever says they'll be sorry to see spring arrive:

 I am located on flatland just north of the Adirondacks, and the howling winds sometimes sweep across it with devastating force. The winds can make even a relatively mild day seem brutally cold:

 And I have been finding daily fox tracks all around the barn and house. I know there is a feral cat living in my hay loft although he runs when I see him. But the foxes are my main concern as I won't be able to let the chickens or pigeons out in the spring. Every fresh snowfall reminds me of the traffic which occurred during the night. I have seen either dog or coyote tracks as well - and once I think I saw bobcat tracks. It's a dangerous world out there for chickens or pigeons, though I believe only the foxes are a danger during the daytime:

 The farm sign shudders in the wind but has held strong ever since I used epoxy to affix the bolts, and added a chain at the bottom to prevent excess movement in the wind:

 And after extra cold or wet nights, when I leave the cows inside, I have a lot of cleaning up to do the next morning. On the plus side, I have two goodly piles of compost for any gardening I want to do:

The Snowy Red Poll Ladies

It's January in the north country and a cold, cold time for livestock:

 I do let the cows in on the coldest or wettest nights, but on most nights, they are fine outdoors. Besides, I dread the arduous cleanup the day after they've spent a night in the barn. The amount of manure and urine soaked bedding hay they leave after one night is hard to believe:

 But on the worst nights, they do appreciate the comfort of the barn and behave themselves pretty well - at least so far:

 But most of their time is spent on the east side of the barn, munching on hay:

 I still give them grain every morning, but all except the two lactating mothers are on diets, and given only a scant two cups of grain:

 They have learned to push the bale feeder sideways, opening up more available hay for eating and sleeping:

 Violet is the most obese of the cows and I am estimating her weight loss by watching her brisket, the hanging flesh at her chest. It is definitely reducing although she needs to lose enough fat to allow her to come into heat. A breeding cow too fat to produce calves is of no use on a farm. Besides, it appears as if the truly obese cows are developing arthritis. So I'm not being cold hearted by trying to get them to lose weight:

 On mild days, life is pleasant for these girls:

 On cold, icy days, it's not so pleasant. But spring is coming and the grass will be growing again by April: