The middle part of the United States, including Texas, is bracing for an arctic cold front this week.  Well below freezing temperatures have already found there way in Northern states like Minnesota.  In our area so far away from the Arctic, we are expecting temperatures to fall in the teens for days.  Highs will be in the 30s.  Meteorologists are predicting at least 48 hours of below freezing temperatures.

For some of you, this winter weather might not be something new.  You might be thinking, “This is nothing to write about.”  But let me assure you, this weather pattern is highly unusual for Southeast Texas.  We have not expected temperatures like these for years.  I have heard speculation that we have not seen weather like this in a decade, which means that my children have not experienced cold like this.

We are wrapping pipes.  We are bringing firewood up to the front porch.  We are covering up our citrus trees with large buckets.  Obviously our trees are not very tall.

Our biggest concern is for our animals.  Unfortunately we do not have a big barn in which to safely house them.  Instead, we are going to use hay as an insulator.  Our rabbits will build a nest of hay in which to lay.  It will help keep their body heat around them.  Our goats have a windbreak and cover in which to find refuge from the cold winds.  We will give them plenty of fresh hay to eat.

Our chickens have a nice coop.  Inside we heat the coop with a heat lamp.  With temperatures reaching this low, we will shut the small door that allows them access to a run in order to keep as much warmth in the coop.  Chickens also like to nest in hay.  We will fill each of their nesting boxes with hay.

The sheep is covered with really thick wool.  We will encourage her to stay on the south side of the chicken coop with fresh hay to eat.  I am sure that when the front hits that she will not need much encouragement to stay out of the wind.

Our domestic animals will be fine.  We have two cats.  One is the mother of four kittens.  We have a pet taxi that we will set on the south side of the house under the porch.  Guess what we will lay in it so the cats will have more warmth.  That’s right, hay.    My husband built our two dogs a doghouse built out of square hay bales.  They do not mind sharing the space.

Covering your garden plants with hay will also keep them protected from the freezing temperatures.  The hay will insulate the plant, but most importantly protect the plant from being directly touched by frost.  Plastic and sheets will do the same thing.  Also spraying down your plants with water as it begins to freeze is another tactic.  The plant freezes at 32 degrees.  As the temperatures dip lower, the plant does not suffer more adverse problems from a harder freeze.  However, you should continue applying the water until it stops freezing for the best protection.

Regardless of the weather, animals cannot survive long without clean drinking water.  When it freezes like this, an owner must be diligent in ensuring the top of the water troughs are free from ice build-up.  Your animals must have access to water.

Today we are working hard.  We are doing more, but very important work than usual today.  But when the cold weather whips in, we will be snug and warm in front of a roaring fire until it is time to milk the goats and feed the animals.  This will be a great time to catch up on some reading, paper work,  and house cleaning.

Tags: artic blast, cold front, hay, weather preparations

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 at 5:56 am and is filed under Gardening, Homesteading, Texas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.