Life on a farm is heavy on the routine. Every morning, somewhere between getting up and getting coffee, is the trip outside to do morning chores. Let the birds out. Make sure the bunnies have water. The big critters need hay. In winter, routines seem to be a constant struggle to make sure everything has liquid water (not just a block of ice), enough to eat, and enough dry bedding to be warm. Dan and I long ago divided up chores- he does the horses, cows, sheep, pigs and goats, while I take care of the chickens, ducks, turkeys, guineas, peafowl and rabbits. It's not that I can't handle the large stock, it just makes sense to split things up, and he took the ones that generally require more heavy lifting, like carrying 100 lb feed sacks to the hog house. And although his chores take longer this time of year, by summer he gets off pretty easy when everything is out on pasture, drinking out of the pond.
I find that a sense of routine makes sure everything gets done. When it's feeding time, I do everything in the same order, every day. First it's time to feed the hen house and collect eggs, then the same for the turkey house, then on to the peafowl down in the barn. If I need hay for the rabbits, I get it while I'm there, then head back up to the house to feed the bunnies. There is an order to those pens as well. Lastly, I feed the kitties, then my evening chores are done, at least until it's time to lock up the poultry for the evening to keep them safe from predators. For me, it just makes sense to go in an order. The order doesn't really matter, but once you establish it, you can be confident everything got done. It doesn't matter if you're not feeling well, distracted, or tired, if you have a routine it's almost like autopilot. And it's interesting how even my friends pick up on it. I have to come inside to get water during winter chores, and my friend Steph knows how much longer I'll be depending on what I'm doing. I even overheard her say to some other friends that were here one day not too long ago that since I was feeding the cats, I was pretty much done and would be able to be social again in just a minute. I guess that's when I really thought about how set my routines really are- even a (non-farming) friend can pick up on them!
I find that a sense of routine makes sure everything gets done. When it's feeding time, I do everything in the same order, every day. First it's time to feed the hen house and collect eggs, then the same for the turkey house, then on to the peafowl down in the barn. If I need hay for the rabbits, I get it while I'm there, then head back up to the house to feed the bunnies. There is an order to those pens as well. Lastly, I feed the kitties, then my evening chores are done, at least until it's time to lock up the poultry for the evening to keep them safe from predators. For me, it just makes sense to go in an order. The order doesn't really matter, but once you establish it, you can be confident everything got done. It doesn't matter if you're not feeling well, distracted, or tired, if you have a routine it's almost like autopilot. And it's interesting how even my friends pick up on it. I have to come inside to get water during winter chores, and my friend Steph knows how much longer I'll be depending on what I'm doing. I even overheard her say to some other friends that were here one day not too long ago that since I was feeding the cats, I was pretty much done and would be able to be social again in just a minute. I guess that's when I really thought about how set my routines really are- even a (non-farming) friend can pick up on them!
This is what chores looked like for the last couple of months. Grey, snowy, and cold. I feed the rabbits in the left hand pen first- you can see my steps each day are so much the same that it is a set of footprints in the snow rather than a path. Then I turn right to get the other pictured pen, then on to a few more not pictured. I think that is part of the reason the end of winter is so bleak- it can feel like the movie Groundhog Day, where it seems like you're reliving it over and over. Get up, do chores, bring in wood, feed woodburning stove to keep the house warm. Repeat.
But spring is indeed on its way, at long last. We've had temperatures in the 50's and the feet of snow on the ground are rapidly dwindling- this causes problems with water and ice everywhere, but as unpleasant as it can be, it's a step in the thawing process we knew was coming. And as the season changes, chores do, too. It's as though the farm itself comes out of hibernation. I found my first turkey egg of the year last night and the guineas have just begun to lay as well, so very soon I'll be turning on the incubator and getting hatching season under way. And I've started garden plants already- we keep them inside until they germinate, and today as soon as the greenhouse warms up enough, I'll take them out to enjoy some real sunshine. It's quite noticeable that the sun is gaining strength all the time, too. I'm itching to get gardening and planting and seeing green again. It makes for lots more to do, but after a long hard, winter the additions and changes in the routine are quite welcome...let the busy season begin!
But spring is indeed on its way, at long last. We've had temperatures in the 50's and the feet of snow on the ground are rapidly dwindling- this causes problems with water and ice everywhere, but as unpleasant as it can be, it's a step in the thawing process we knew was coming. And as the season changes, chores do, too. It's as though the farm itself comes out of hibernation. I found my first turkey egg of the year last night and the guineas have just begun to lay as well, so very soon I'll be turning on the incubator and getting hatching season under way. And I've started garden plants already- we keep them inside until they germinate, and today as soon as the greenhouse warms up enough, I'll take them out to enjoy some real sunshine. It's quite noticeable that the sun is gaining strength all the time, too. I'm itching to get gardening and planting and seeing green again. It makes for lots more to do, but after a long hard, winter the additions and changes in the routine are quite welcome...let the busy season begin!