Their water troughs were way down, so I took the buggy and filled them, broke the ice on the duck pond and tipped it out and filled up the front section for them. They kept going over while I was pouring the water for the cows, and then flying away when I returned to refill.
He got in at 1am this morning, I sat with him while he had some of his birthday soup and bread. Need to take the plug apart next to his side of the bed. The electric blanket started doing funny things on his side, as well as the clock radio, so methinks it may be faulty. It was modified by one of those 6 plug things, so maybe something is wrong inside it as my side of the bed works well plugged into the plug on my side of the bed. DH wanted to swop sides as my side worked, but then I'll end up trying to climb over him in the night to go pee, and I do that at least once a night, usually more.
While pouring the water I saw that the cows had broken the hay bale feeder. They broke a whole section out. So I went and collected the broken piece, and tipped the whole thing on it's side so that they wouldn't break it more before we could get it out of there. I asked DH if he could please teach me how to weld. He went and undid the bolts holding that section, and brought the piece into the shed. Used the angle grinder to clear a place to ground it, I didn't know about that previously. Then held it in place and he showed me how to do it. Let me try, but it wasn't tacked in place, so he did that one, and let me try the next join. I did it. He said it was a wonderful farm weld, I think it looked like witches hair, with lumps ! Found out that the wire comes out when you push the button, but the face mask is so dark I couldn't see what was happening when the sparks started, so DH turned a button on the side to lighten it up a little. Then I sort of got it right after having to burn off some long pieces, resulting in the witches hair. Between the two of us we got that baby welded back together, and I'm more confident to try something else, but preferably not in single digit weather ! But suppose that's when things break, when it's most inconvenient. Found some bolts with nuts to bolt it back together, went out there and stuck that baby back together. Took some barley out for the cows to lure them away from the bale feeder so DH could come in with the fresh bale on the tractor, popped the new bale down, removed the netting and plastic covering which was iced to it in places, pulled the bale feeder back around it, pulled the edges of the bale down to give them a start. Done, all beasties fed and watered.
Yesterday I found 3 frozen eggs in the chicken house, that's what happens when you leave the farm for any period of time in Winter, and one half eaten frozen one. It looked like a hardboiled egg. So today I kept checking and found 4 still warm ones. Then discovered that the chicken that lays in the garage had been doing so and there were 6 frozen eggs on the shelf. Damn, I didn't realise she's been out of the chicken house. At least those ones were clean, so I feel OK with letting them thaw and then using them.
Texted Ron about Anni. She and Remington mated this morning, she is acclimatising to the crate, poor baby, and he hoped they'd mate again tonight. Seems Remington is still a little scared of her. She is physically a little taller, and when we first arrived he sniffed her rear and she just about took him out. Must be a lady, needs roses and dinner before you can sniff her ass ! I miss her, and so does Rosco. He's taken the sleeping down in the straw in the milk parlour. Found him there when I went to re-set the power switch that tripped when DH tried to use the compressor. Wanted to use the plasma cutter to cut some pieces to weld onto the bale feeder for strength, but seems something has gone wrong with it. It worked last week. Ah, the joys of farming.
I've had to move all the tinned dog and cat food into the house as it froze in the garage. Something more to trip over in the mud room.