winter thaw

It has been a long week of sub-zero temperatures.  The cold snap came so quick that we were unprepared and had not treated our diesel fuel with additives to stop the fuel from gelling.  Then it seemed to want to snow everyday and the wind blow.  So every morning the trail to the sheep and cows had to be a new trail, because yesterdays trail had blown in over night.  Each time it blows in the snow blows in harder than it was.

Now it has warmed up and the tractors are running again and the fuel is treated so all is well.  The cows are enjoying the warmer weather.  Here the cows are lined up with their bodies flat to sun to catch the maximum amount of warmth from the rays of the sun.

The snow is fairly deep in places and places it has mostly blown clear.  The cows are still grazing through the snow.  They are still getting their 2 pounds of grain cake every day to supplement the dry grass.

Here they dig through the snow to get at the grass to graze.

Then the other day we turned out 29 head of Rambouillet bucks out with the ewes .  We should have plenty of buck power so now we should get white faced lambs next spring.  We started feeding the ewes some hay along with their grain cubes.  We need to keep them in breeding shape.

Last night I had to help Santa Claus a little.  I needed to stand in for him at the Atall school program.  There was quite a crowd of parents and grand-parents and other to watch.