How are conditions near you??

[Colin]

Didn't get the 12 to 16 inches of snow forecast yesterday, but enough to get the schools closed. So at least the kids are happy. Dexters seem to be taking it in their stride....

[AlisonKirk]

At least 12" snow here. Many of the villages only accessible by 4WD vehicles or tractors. My daughter who is a care worker in West Oxon - her clients are inaccessible - the army have been deployed to assist and will be using 4 WD vehicles so that she and her colleagues can reach the elderly.

We had to dig ourselves out on Wed - subsequently with all the stock some 3 miles away, I decided to take a day's annual leave to help Rob, slipped on ice while he had taken haylage to stranded sheep away from our cattle and fractured my wrist. I spent an hour lying on haylage with my legs raised, much to the amusement of the cattle. I finally got it checked on Thurs and we spent all afternoon and evening in Cheltenham A and E, with everyone else wearing slings. Gloucestershire are not gritting many roads if any judging by the treacherous conditions last night.

Good start to the New Year.

Alison
Boram Dexters

[Anna]

In Sweden we have what could be considered a normal winter. But here in the southern parts it is quite unusual that the cold stays this long. We have had around -10° C for about two weeks. Some days only -5, and a few nights -15. Today it is -15, but no wind so it is not to bad.

We always are carrying water to cows and sheep, so there is no difference except that we have to do it four times a day since it freezes fast. Good exercise. Houses and water pipes are constructed to take this, so no problem there. But we learn in school that Brittish homes have water pipes on the outside! Is this true? Must be a real mess a winter like this.

Thank you Saffy for your story about milking in the cold, I enjoyed it. I dried off my cow a few days before Christmas and is a little thankful for that. My cows stays in a house that gives shelter from wind and snow but is as cold as outside, and hand milking in -15 is not very nice. Down to -5 is no problem at all, but when it gets colder I feel bad about udder cleaning and hands start to suffer. Miss the milk and yoghurt badly!!!

Considering what to do to be able to milk during future winters. Maybe we have to build a room with insulation this summer. (Which will mean that we postpone the things that need to be done on our own house one more year.. but milk are more important of course.)

[Broomcroft]

Well I was up all night waiting for a cow to calve. She took forever. Bag came out at 3:30, then she just lay down chewing cud as though she didn't have a care in the world. Didn't want to stress her, so I waited until 06:30 to go in a have a feel. At first I thought it was upside down, forwards, with head back. Have you ever almost stripped off in -14C? It was cold, VERY cold. The only thing warm was my right arm inside her. Anyhow, it was backwards not forwards, so pulled it out quick. Nice calf.

Anna - Only pipes on the outside are waste water and water drainage etc. But the trouble over here as opposed to Sweden, Germany etc, is that our cold weather doesn't normally last for long, so our whole infrastructure isn't geared up for it. A bit of snow and we stop. Mind you, I think everybody makes the most of it. I remember in the sixties, we would walk to work if the roads were at a standstill and that was a 3 hour walk. It was a bit daft really, because you'd get there, do a couple of hours and then have to leave because it took so long ???



Edited By Broomcroft on 1262952587

[Penny]

I was up last night calving too, and it really was cold. My girl wasn't in any hurry, so I was filling all the barns' water tanks in the middle of the night as all the lagged pipes have frozen despite being surrounded by cattle.
Glad I stayed up with her, as it was a solid calf, really tight and needed ropes in the end to get it out. Mum and babe doing well. Will try to get some photos on ..........!
Penny
ps Dexters Rugs?! I have been trying to get one made for some time and have not found anywhere. Strange to think that one of my boys is now a rug on Gordon's floor!!

[wagra dexters]

Sympathy for the plight of UK and other parts of Europe, thinking of you and hoping for an early spring over there.

Great photos, tough little mites, like short-haired yaks.

Margaret

[CarolineL]

It was still -10 degrees C at 10.30am this morning in the Vale of York. Must have 8 inches of snow by now and more forecast. Water pipes have been frozen since before Christmas. Cows have a shed they can come in and out of freely and a ring feeder with big bale hay/haylage. They are fine but seem really bored! Suppose they are used to having a big field to munch their way round and now have got just the shed and the ring feeder to go to!

Hope everyone is managing with the snow - feeling for everyone further north and up on the hills.

I just wish I had more of a commute to work (8 minute cycle each way!) so that I could stay at home and have a snow day!! Only hill around here is the one in the cows' field - wonder what they would make us of sledging?! :D



Edited By CarolineL on 1262957042

[wagra dexters]

37 in the shade at the moment, 43C expected here today. Unbearable outside in the blast furnace.
Cows head for shady refuge very early such days as these.

[ngr2804]

My cattle are kept at a farm owned by a friend. They have been housed since 13th December - earlier than last year due to the wet conditions. Since 17th December we have had regular problems with the water in the buildings freezing, necessitating setting up a hose from the house. The water is pumped up from a well and there are substantial storage tanks in the attic of the house.

Last Thursday we experienced a low of about minus 14C, however the water in the house seemed fine but by 6.30 Friday evening it became clear that the tanks were empty. We went down to the pumphouse to find that it had frozen solid. Luckily the electric pump had cut out before damage was done. The sad thing is that the pumphouse was fully wired and had a small electric heater built in but it was broken and he knew it was broken and had done nothing about it.

I had to turn the cows out so they could access the stream. My friend managed to get the water running
later that night so they came back in on Saturday
afternoon. His mother was far from pleased with
him as their antiquated central heating works off
the Raeburn oven and requires lots of water so
they had to let the fire go out!

Nick