Tip for poo picking in freezing weather

[Icemaiden]

Another one for new chicken keepers in cold weather...

It's great cleaning up chicken poo in freezing weather, as most of It's in the coop- less searching it out on the run floor, & it doesn't smell so bad. But when it's frozen solid to the floor, a dedicated garden trowel is handy for chiselling deposits off the run floor!

I also wear a pair of plasticized warm gloves with a disposable glove over the top of the one that won't be holding the trowel handle...

 

[Hen-Gen]

Well far be it for me to complain but ***********
Its a white out
No weekly restocking of the shop
No island Dial a Ride van
Chicken watering hose frozen
Running out of bottled gas for heating
Sheep looking at me with a kind of ‘ are you taking the piss expression’
More of the same forcast
People house bound so no weekly scrabble or house cleaning
The whole vista shades of grey and white
Every school in Shetland shut

on the other hand *********
Loads of hen food and hay in stock
Freezers full to bursting
My mate up island turning up in his Land Rover to ridicule the English and drink coffee and whisky
Saturdays karaoke night hopefully cancelled
Haggis roaming free

 

[Icemaiden]

I must admit, you've been in my thoughts, Hen-gen, with your animals & flocks to take care of.

Last week Lenham in Kent (not far from us) was in the national press because oc its "heavy snow"- all 3mm of it. How deep is it on Fetlar at the moment?

 

[bigyetiman]

Thought of you also Hen-Gen, still not all bad if the Karaoke gets cancelled.

People in Essex in major panic, just because it's cold, and have frost on the cars

My neighbour's animals looking at us with a hurry up and break the ice look in the mornings. 7 months now and my neighbour is now home but virtually housebound. Got to the point where OH said to her, she needs to start getting rid of some things if she can't cope with them, and get some help in the home with every day things.
Neighbour is 83 this year and realistically we can't see her getting to the point where she dispense with the Zimmer frame and get down to animals, plus she can't carry heavy things now, but she is somewhat pig headed.

be interesting to see what happens when we go away in Feb, and so does the the other farmer who will help her out

 

[Hen-Gen]

Thank you guys. I have to admit that as I trudged through 8 inches of snow the thought crossed my mind “ what am I doing here”. But then I laugh at such pathetic wimpishness and get on with it. The guy I referred to earlier is also the island road clearer/ gritter and he’s had his time utilised doing what he can. But having been here 14 years I was flattered recently when a local said “ ah yes but youre not a southmouther, you’re a local”. ( The boat from the mainland comes into the South mouth in Lerwick hence immigrants are called southmouthers) . Still consternation that over the years I brought in Zwartbles, Rouge de L’Ouest and Whitefaced Woodland rams but it’s now put down to inherent derangement.
The great thing about chickens is that hatching eggs come in the post so they’re unnoticed. Will I be able to pass off Mottled Orpington x Exchequer Leghorns as Houbie Harlequins? (Houbie is the village I live in). This hatching season it’s Houdans,!

 

[bigyetiman]

Congratulations on becoming a "local" after a mere 14 years.

The bit I hate most is coping with anything that has frozen, especially cattle troughs. The hens have drinkers that I can empty nightly.

I am sure you can cope with your own names for breeds, it will be just another tag to add to your derangement