It’s cold out there! Here at the farm, we’re definitely dealing with freezing weather. It makes all of the farm chores take longer.
And makes them less enjoyable. Because I’d much rather stay close to the fire than traipse through the freezing cold.
But, the farm chores must be done year round, regardless of the weather. Thankfully it’s supposed to warm up next week. In the meantime, here’s five tips I’ve been using to survive the cold and stay warm.
1. Wear Insulated Gloves
My typical chore gloves aren’t fancy. They are just basic work gloves. I like them because of their low profile. I still have great use of my hands while wearing them.
But, they don’t offer much warmth.
Bryan bought me an amazing pair of insulated work gloves, and I’ve been loving them. I occasionally have to take them off to do a task that requires more fine motor skills (like opening the bunny cage), but they keep my hands so much warmer. It’s worth having to pull them off once in a while.
So wear warm gloves and keep your hands warm!
Oh yeah, keep the rest of you warm too by wearing layers and bundling up.
2. Don’t Get Wet
When the temperatures are this low, staying dry is essential. If you get wet for any reason, head back to the house and change.
Your body will thank you!
To avoid getting wet in the first place, here are some precautions to take:
- If you’re hauling water, don’t fill the bucket all the way up. Leave some head space so you’re less likely to slosh.
- Stand back while pouring water
- When breaking through ice in a water tank, stand back
3. Keep Your Hoses Drained
I’d much rather use a hose to fill a stock tank than have to pack all that water by bucket full. So keeping the hose from freezing is essential.
If you don’t drain it all the way, bring the hose into the house to defrost. That way you don’t have to haul water. The goal is to minimize the amount of time spent outside.
4. Water Three Times a Day in Freezing Weather
Animals that don’t have a heated waterer are going to need more access to fresh water when everything is frozen. So make it a point to give water three times a day instead of two.
You want your animals to survive the freezing weather too!
While you’re at it, make sure you don’t let their waterers freeze all the way to the top. They’re much harder to defrost when they’re completely full.
Going outside an extra time may seem counter-intuitive when it’s cold, but this extra water session shouldn’t take too long, and will give you a chance to check on your critters again. You don’t want to lose any to the freeze!
5. Warm Up When You’re Done
After chores are done, head inside and unbundle. Then stand by the fire and drink some hot cocoa or something. You need to raise your body temperature back up.
What’s the weather like where you are?
Are you freezing too? Do you have a ton of snow?
Any advice you’d add for surviving freezing weather when you have to go out in it for farm chores? Please add your tips to the comments section.
