Nestled All Snug In Their Beds

It was something like 50 here this afternoon and tomorrow morning they are calling for -6. Actual temperature. The wind is predicted to be blowing through around 20 miles an hour, creating brutal wind chills. Time to batten down the hatches.

I'm not really concerned about the majority of the sheep staying warm.  They are all in good flesh and full fleeces.  The barn provides plenty of shelter from the wind and they have a good warm straw pack.  Hank loves cold weather, but this is going to go way past comfortable for him so I made a big, deep straw bed for him in the small stall where he likes to sleep.

We decided to move Elizabeth inside and under a heat lamp.  This worked really well when the weather tanked right after shearing last year and probably saved her life.  I set up the small pen and hung her lamp.  I doubt Renny will even notice the cold under all that wool ;-).

Back in the summer when I moved Elizabeth into the lamb pen, I caught quite an ear full.  The other night when it got pretty darn cold and I moved her back in with the main "prison population" I caught another ear full.  You can tell by the look on her face that when I ask her to move back in at feeding time...I'm gonna hear about it ;-).

The horses are blanketed (Hickory's blanket is brown ;-).

Saint Tim built a hay wall to stop the wind and snow from blowing under the front barn doors. 

Maisie topped off her tank with some extra horse hay scraps. 

We added some extra plastic sheeting and turned the Adventure Chicken's lamp on.

"Thanks, lady!"

Eli and Claire Bear took advantage of the warm afternoon out of the wind to nap out on the chairs.  They'll move (back) into the heated condo as the temperature falls.  Comby's already reserving his spot ;-).  Iris and Tilly have beds in the kitchen and Betsy's taken over a counter there as well.

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When I went out to do the evening chores, this is where I found Hank :-). 

Maisie was in the little stall with him.  When she first moved out to the barn, she had a pen similar to Elizabeth's in the big stall.  She slept there every night and I assumed that's where she'd always sleep.  When she buddied up with Hank, she moved into his stall.  She is a polite room mate and he doesn't seem to mind. 

And Elizabeth?  She walked right into her pen like she remembered how (after a couple days of yelling at me about it) she ended up liking the heated pen last winter so I was hopeful this would be a peaceful transition.  Yeah, right ;-).

That's Emily in the YouTube preview picture.  She's feeling much better :-). Jester's standing behind her, Beanie Baby is in the doorway, that's messy Boudreaux's backside (why is he always the only sheep covered in hay?), Blossom's (Baba) chubby cheeked white face and Annabelly and Ford watching from behind.

I think we're all set.  I put out extra hay for everyone and will head back out before bed to turn Elizabeth's lamp on (it's still fairly warm) and make a final barn check.  I'm sure I'll get talked into a midnight snack ;-).

Hoping everyone is able to stay warm!