Arctic Freeze

[mallorys_camera]

The 100-yard electrical relay to the chickens' water has failed again. The extension cords are buried beneath a foot and a half of snow, and I'm not even going to fantasize about digging them out because that would be impossible. I'm just gonna have to haul fresh water out to the chickens every day and hope they can drink enough in the 20 minutes or so before that water freezes—the temps at night have been going down to -7°F (real feel: -15°F) and barely graze 20°F (real feel: 5°F) during the day—not to die of thirst.

I don't know what else to do.

This Arctic front has been brutal. My share of the electric & heating oil bills this month came to $500, and honestly? I don't know how I am gonna pay it. I suppose since I will be out of here come spring (please, please, please, Universe), the smart thing would be to tell Icky to take it out of the rental deposit. I mean, there are certainly many folk I could plead my story to who would be happy to help me out, I suspect, but how humiliating is that? Come rescue me! I can't take care of myself!

If Brian were alive, this would not be an issue. He would give me the money & tell me to shut up when I tried to thank him.

###

In more amusing news, Facebook has decided to give me a professional account because many, many years ago, when I first signed up for FB, I facetiously gave my profession as "Cat News Aggregator" and started a regular posting feature called "Today's Exciting Cat News." Apparently, that little daily posting feature attracts some threshold number of eyeballs. An FB professional account gives one access to all sorts of interesting user-tracking info.

And my Substack attracts more (free) subscribers every day, though it's a long way away from being monetizable.

###

Life is just very stressful right now. A real slog. I remind myself that it won't be that way forever, but one thing about me: I live very fully in the present tense; in fact, Ichabod told me once I was the most existential person he had ever known. When things suck, it's very hard for me to envision a future point in which things will not suck, and that renders mobilizing future options for non-suckitude solely an intellectual exercise. Emotionally, I just want to curl up somewhere & cry.

Comments

[lethe1]

Found this on a Dutch site for keepers of poultry. You can delay the freezing of the water by adding sugar: 50 grams of sugar per 1.5 litres of water (NOT salt!)

(Of course in such extreme temperatures I don't know how much of a delay it will be.)

[mallorys_camera]

Oh wow! Plus the extra sugar calories will give them energy for withstanding all this cold. Thank you so much! 😀

[lethe1]

You're welcome, hope it works! :)

[lethe1]

Hmm, another site that has tips to help wild birds in the winter advises *against* sugar, because it is not healthy and also makes the birds' feathers sticky when they take a bath.

I don't know if chickens tend to bathe in their drinkwater at such icy temperatures?

Anyway, that site's advice is to keep the water moving by f.e. adding one or more ping-pong balls. If there is any wind, the ball(s) will move and prevent the water from forming ice crystals. A small plastic bottle filled with salt water will also keep moving. No idea how big the chicken's water bowl is, and what material it is? The bigger, the better, and metal will cause the water to freeze sooner.

[mallorys_camera]

Honestly, I don't know if chickens bathe at all unless they're molting.

I'm gonna assume the Dutch poultry keepers know their stuff & add a small amount of sugar to their water. And water them twice a day. (Sigh...)

[bleodswean]

Wish things weren't so draining right now for you, P. Isn't there a program through the utilities for you to avail yourself of?????

Chickens are lucky to have you.

[mallorys_camera]

Thanks, E. Unfortunately, the electricity is in Icky's name. Otherwise, yes, there are a few programs.

Honestly, I wish I weren't dealing with the chickens. But they are helpless animals, and I can't just leave them in harm's way because Icky is an asshole.

[rebeccmeister]

Do you pay utility bills directly, or have to go through Icky? Is there a way to arrange for a payment plan? I don't know anything about applying for assistance with home heating costs in NY, but it's certainly a thing. That is an insanely high bill.

For the chickens, is the electrical relay just an outdoors power cord running along the ground? Would it make sense to just obtain a separate emergency/backup/functional power cord and run it on top of the snow instead?

This forum seems to have some useful discussion on chicken strategies - I especially note the "give water at least 2x day" part and would think about nestling a water vessel inside of one of those cheap styrofoam coolers.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/good-ways-to-keep-water-from-freezing-without-electricity.1267826/

[mallorys_camera]

The utilities are in Icky's name. Also, he just bought a Tesla (of course, he did!) & is charging it using the Tesla app to track kWh usage—but it looks like he forgot that it reflects energy at the car, not everything that passes through the house meter. There are losses in the wiring and charger that can range anywhere from 10% to 20%.

He is subtracting what he estimates he's spending on Tesla charge from the electric bill, and I just wrote him the most tactful, diplomatic letter I could pointing out that energy is lost in the cable and charger. This will bring my share of the bill down a smidgeon. Not substantially, of course. The house is very poorly insulated, and it has been brutally cold this past month.

lethe points out that adding a little sugar to the water will lower its freezing point. Viz the fountain, I think Icky needs to investigate one that's battery-powered. It doesn't make sense to me to run 100 yards of extension cords either over or under the snow. In the meantime, I guess I'll trek out there in the morning and the afternoon.

[rebeccmeister]

It is true, that any solute will lower water's freezing point, at least!

Just for a comparison point, since I don't think Albany's temperatures have been ALL that different from yours, our Dec-Jan utility bill came in at $280 total. I keep the thermostat at 63 degrees both night and day, and evidence does suggest our rental house *is* decently well-insulated (double-paned windows, etc).

I have a feeling, though, that our next utility bill will be up over $300, sigh.