Gorgeous weather here in SW Oklahoma. We are enjoying it and grateful for no ice storms and power outage. Begonias and ferns still thriving in the pots, though we have been down as low as 29 degrees F.
How's the Weather ?
- Thread starter Ryan Johnson
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HersheyMint
HersheyMint
@HersheyMint it swung from -20 C to +7 C in 24 hours. It snowed yesterday and then we had freezing rain. Today is very foggy. If you don't like the weather in Alberta, just give it an hour. It'll change!
I'm very grateful for my saintly boys who are blanketed though. Donkey kept his on, but Falcor and my big warmblood stallion got theirs off overnight when it was warm. I ended up having to reblanket them in the evening, in the darn and snow and wind! No halters, both stood like perfect gentlemen.
I'm very grateful for my saintly boys who are blanketed though. Donkey kept his on, but Falcor and my big warmblood stallion got theirs off overnight when it was warm. I ended up having to reblanket them in the evening, in the darn and snow and wind! No halters, both stood like perfect gentlemen.
HersheyMint
HersheyMint
That is a huge temp difference! Thank goodness it warms up in the day.
I just came back from Utah were the highs were in the 30tys Fahrenheit low temp. was in the 20tys. Back here in California we have a high of 68 F and lows in the 40tys. Sending you some warmth!
Dreams of Ashes
Active Member
Yikes! and I was displeased with like 65 F to 32 F swing pretty much overnight.
I kind of like this following of the tree out my window. We’re getting 6” of snow throughout today. By Christmas Eve it’s to warm up to just above freezing. Currently-20 C.
What kind of tree is that?
Might be a young blue spruce? Some spruce variety anyways.
HersheyMint
HersheyMint
A peaceful picture to gaze at.
After plenty of really nice weather, we're about to go into a polar vortex. Today, snow squall watch. It's blizzarding outside right now, the wind came up out of nowhere. Interesting weather for sure! It's going to get really cold for the weekend, then back to just below freezing on Monday... Seems like lots of blanket changes are in my future!
Similar here without the snow. We have a few inches on the ground and today is our last mild day of being around 30 degrees. The next three of four days will see temps below zero and windchill numbers at (-30).
So far, we have had a very dry winter.
So far, we have had a very dry winter.
Yesterday was so interesting! The snow squall was short lived. We had very mild temps and blue sky by noon, but it ramped up again. By 5:00 it was blowing snow and hard to see. That's when I took my daughter in for her boxing class. By 7:30, visibility was nearly not and it was a slow drive home. Fortunately, the road conditions (when you could see it) were quite good! We made it home without issue. This morning there's snow and things are very quiet. It's about to get cold! Better double blanket the ponies!
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I have a question that hopefully you folks can answer for me. What do you do with your minis when it's super cold outside? In 2 days it will be -10 with the wind chill and remain at that temp for about 3 days or so. I don't know whether to put my minis outside or not. It's been as cold as 6 so far this winter and my little herd has been fine. I check on them throughout the day to make sure that they are not shivering (esp. the donkeys) and I feed them plenty of hay throughout the day. The boys (horses) coats are incredibly thick and the donks coats are pretty thick too. I have tried to put blankets on them in the past, but they don't like them. I can't even get near the girls with a blanket. I'm thinking of letting them out for an hour or two and then putting them back inside for a while and repeat this a few times. Is this a good or bad idea? There may have been discussions about really cold weather in the past, but I don't recall reading about it. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Our weather has gotten much colder too as the polar vortex is here, and this morning the air temperature is (-19) with a windchill pushing it lower. Tomorrow and Tuesday will be colder yet.
At night, I close all of the barn doors. In the morning, depending on the wind direction, I will open one door so they can walk in and out free choice. The sun is expected and it helps. I often find them against the bale, in the sun, lying down.
Once they are outside mine tend to stay out in the sun. If your minis and donkeys seem ok outside, I’d let them be especially if there is a large bale or windbreak, but bring them in a bit early before feeding.
It is amazing how well they handle these temperatures, and I think it is in part because they don’t listen to weather announcements and worry like we do!
At night, I close all of the barn doors. In the morning, depending on the wind direction, I will open one door so they can walk in and out free choice. The sun is expected and it helps. I often find them against the bale, in the sun, lying down.
Once they are outside mine tend to stay out in the sun. If your minis and donkeys seem ok outside, I’d let them be especially if there is a large bale or windbreak, but bring them in a bit early before feeding.
It is amazing how well they handle these temperatures, and I think it is in part because they don’t listen to weather announcements and worry like we do!
Handling donkeys is different than horses. The mini horses will likely have no issue. Give them extra feed and they will go into almost a catatonic - standing hibernation state. It's remarkable. Donkeys are not built the same and will require more support. Although all of mine are outside, they all have good shelters and plenty of straw. Phillippe has a big blanket on and plenty of extra feed as well. If I had a barn to put him in, I would do that. The rest do just fine. Today it's cold enough that it froze my water at home but it's warming up through the day. 3 days of cold cold is enough.
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Thanks for the additional information about the donkeys. I do wish that I could get blankets on them, but they won't let me get near them with one. I have been giving everyone a dash more grain and more hay throughout the day. I haven't seen anyone shivering yet and I check several times a day. I do bring the donks and horses in at night into a 3 stall barn, which is closed up tight. The horses each have their own stalls and the donks (who are sisters) share a stall. As I write this, it is 5 degrees and suppose to go down below zero tonight and remain so throughout the next 2 days with the Windchill. The side of the barn has 3 run-in stalls that everyone has access to during the day. The donks typically hang out in the there all day, always together, perhaps keeping each other warm. I have decided that I will probably let them out during the next 2 days, as long as the sun is strong and watch them carefully. If they look or act cold, I will bring them all inside. Thanks for the feedback.
