Blizzard Preparations

Before we went to bed last night, we prepared for the coming blizzard. We were under a blizzard warning and projected to get 6-12 inches of snow, so we didn't want to take any chances. Better safe than sorry, right?

First order of business was making sure the animals were protected from the wind and snow. We decided to put Duchess inside an enclosure under the carport with most of the guineas. She doesn't like to be cooped up, but with 45 mph winds and lots of snow, I didn't want her out in the open. I put lots of fresh pine shavings in the chicken coop and gave them extra food and water since I figured they may not venture out much the following day. I put the outside cat's house under the back porch where the snow and wind wouldn't get to it and left plenty of food. 

Then I began to focus on the human needs. If our power goes out, we don't have access to water since we get our water from a well, so at my mom's suggestion, we put several buckets of water in the garage for the animals the following day just in case. Then my dad advised us to fill up the bathtub with water for flushing the toilet if need be. We stored several pitchers of water for us to drink and decided to call it a night.

Luckily our power didn't go out and we didn't end up getting a foot of snow. But when we went outside this morning to check on the animals, we learned that in spots the snow drifts were pretty deep.

I mentioned that most of the guineas went under the carport for the night. The first flock we hatched this summer (ones we call the "teens") decided to brave the storm outside on top of the fence for the chicken run where they normally spend the night. I tried everything to get them to take shelter, but it's pretty much impossible to catch guineas who don't want to be caught.

We knew guineas were really hardy birds after finding our flock last year covered in ice one morning and they were just fine, but David was concerned the teens may not make it overnight because of the strong winds. Apparently the teens are just as hardy as their parents because they were all alive this morning!

Once we let Duchess out, she seemed to enjoy running around in the snow and wasn't bothered by the wind at all.

As of right now, the chickens are still in the coop. I saw a couple of the younger ones who have never seen snow before looking out the pop door wondering what was going on. They turned around and went right back inside! Our chickens don't care for the snow too much and really hate the wind, so today isn't their favorite day.

Did you get hit by the blizzard in your neck of the woods? 

~Tammy

Shared with Thursday Favorite Things, Home Sweet Home  

Merry Christmas

From Baby and everyone else on the homestead, Merry Christmas from our neck of the woods to yours. We are so thankful that you take the time to read this blog of ours and we appreciate each and every one of you.

Happy holidays!

~Tammy and David

Feathered Friend Friday

Welcome to our series "Feathered Friend Friday." Every Friday I write a post with interesting facts, photos, videos, or funny stories about our chickens and guineas. If you need to catch up, you'll find all the Feathered Friend Friday posts here.  

We had our flock of hens in the city for a couple years before moving to our homestead. We didn't keep a rooster in the city, so we were excited to add one to the flock once we were out here in the country. I remember being very amused the first time I saw our rooster court the hens.

The rooster will do a little dance for the hen to let her know he is interested. He will circle around her while dropping a wing to the ground and purring softly in her ear. Sometimes the hen will squat immediately and make the rooster's job easier, other times she will run away or play hard to get and the rooster will have to get a little more forceful.

I caught our Rhode Island Red rooster, Roosty Roo, wooing our light Brahma hen, Ellie, the other day. Roosty was a gentleman and tried his hardest to win Ellie's affection, but as you can see, she wouldn't even give him the time of day and appeared to be much more interested in pecking around for treats.

Roosty can be pretty rough and just grab the hen by the neck if she's not paying attention to him, but he was exceptionally sweet this time. Sometimes I feel bad for the boys when the girls just ignore them or run away. I guess they are playing hard to get! Typical girls.

Have you ever seen a rooster dance for a hen?

~Tammy

Shared with Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop, Farm Girl Blog Fest, Clever Chicks Blog Hop, The Growing Patch 

Our 2012 Christmas Card

The past few years I didn't send out Christmas cards. I wanted to, but didn't put it on my list so it kept getting pushed aside until it was too late. This year back in November, I heard an ad on the radio for 40% off photo cards. I said to myself, "This is the year." As soon as I got home I started our cards and ordered them right away so I could mark one thing off my list.

I really like how they turned out. I wanted them to be personal, so what better way to do that than to show my favorite photos from the homestead this year. I made sure to include a representative for each animal family (dog, cats, guineas, chickens) and of course had to include a photo of us.

As soon as my grandma received her card, she called me and couldn't stop talking about how much she loved it. When I went to visit her earlier this week, she had the card proudly showcased on her coffee table. I love seeing my card displayed in other people's homes!

Did you send out personalized Christmas cards this year? Or is it still on your list? :)

~Tammy