On the Homestead: Coffee for farmers, heat lamps for chickens this winter

Diane Doiron  National Post

Our dog Oreo and the hens sit in the sun trying to warm up after a night of -25C cold.

I woke up this morning and could feel the cold on my arm sticking out of the blankets, brrr. Turning toward the window, I could see the sun’s rays reflecting off the frost that had covered the snow as the temperatures dipped under -25C during the night.

I ran to the thermostat to start the furnace and didn’t miss a stride flicking on the coffee maker, and kept going until I landed back under the blankets again. We use our wood-burning stove during the day, getting its last fill-up when we go to bed, so by the time morning comes it’s down to ashes and freezing cold in the house. So we use the oil-burning furnace for a quick warmup in the mornings and then it’s shut down again. We were getting by with one wheelbarrow of wood per day. Now it’s more like 1.5 wheelbarrow loads per day to take the bite out of the house.

MORE…