the way out here

Egg poppin’ and water blockin’

By HUNTER HILL
Posted 1/15/25

Lots of things shut down in the cold weather. Some things admittedly can’t be done. When it comes to animals and livestock however, they don’t just take a break when the cold weather …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in
the way out here

Egg poppin’ and water blockin’

Posted

Lots of things shut down in the cold weather. Some things admittedly can’t be done. When it comes to animals and livestock however, they don’t just take a break when the cold weather hits. They still need food and water and shelter like any other living thing to make it through. By extension then, the work of a farmer never takes a break. 

Folks like to joke about the U.S. Postal Service and its unofficial motto, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” For postal workers, there are days I would hope they stay off the roads for their safety and others. For farmers though, the stakes are high, and the demand never stops. It would be a sorry farmer who took days off when the weather was poor. His animals left to the elements without anything to eat or drink. 

I was thinking of all this as I donned my warmest jacket,  hat and gloves this week only to have the heat knocked out of me on my first step out the door. These arctic gusts, as they have been described, took our otherwise manageable temps and lethalized them with wicked windchill. Despite my temporary discomfort, though, it was important to make sure I didn’t cut any corners for my critters. Fortunately all of them have nice buildings to block the wind, filled with bedding and each other to hold the warmth in. The problem at hand is twofold. 

Firstly and more importantly, whatever I do to supply water, it will always freeze. I’ve tried many methods over the years, and short of an in-ground water pipe with a frost-free spigot, no method is foolproof. The key, then, is figuring which method is the most efficient for your setup. 

Right now I have a frost-deterring waterer that can be quickly filled at the top, and when necessary, quickly pulled apart to knock the ice out. With just a little heat in the building, it normally stays unfrozen long enough for the chickens to keep drinking throughout the day. This way, the water keeps moving and there isn’t much ice by the time I come back to refill it. On the coldest of days it can get stuck before it empties, in which case I check it regularly and do what I need to in order to keep water in supply. 

The goats, on the other hand, have a simple bucket. It freezes more quickly because I give it to them outside the building. It simply isn’t practical for me to insulate it as well as the other. Thus I employ the methods of old and keep a handy little crowbar nearby to break the top of the ice and scoop the chunks out. That being said they still get fresh water each day, so all the ice I may miss gets knocked out before it has a chance to freeze in layers and become impossible to deal with. 

The second major problem I face has less to do with the health of the animals and more to do with a blight on my breakfast. When it get’s truly cold in the single digits etc., the eggs in the buildings will pop. They freeze and crack and are no longer edible. By the grace of God my chickens started giving me a few more eggs a day when we had the short warm-up period not too long ago, and haven’t stopped yet. In keeping with the idea that you win some and you lose some, I am simply happy to still be getting enough eggs that are just fine. 

Although I lose some eggs on a daily basis, I still use them in our compost pile. If I were able to collect eggs three times a day, I’m sure I wouldn’t have this problem, but my girls are on their own schedule and care not for the logistics of their care as long as the food is provided and the doors are opened for them to roam and scratch.

The way out here, nothing comes easy even in the warmer months, but the challenges of winter are met with longsuffering, and a rewarding cup of coffee. Stay warm, and enjoy those eggs knowing Jack Frost could have had your breakfast instead.

eggs, us postal service, frost, deterring, way out here

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here