I am impressed you can keep Angus like that. My first herd of beef was Angus cross cows and i has a ton of issues come winter. That was when I did a lot if reading and discovered Galloway cows handle the cold better. Now I keep Galloway or Galloway Highlander cross cows. Those highlander cows are by far the toughest when it comes to cold. They will stand outside in a snow storm or wind when my Galloway cows will all be in the barn. So far both breeds have taken the cold much better. But I bet your local beef market likes the Angus better and wonāt pay as well for Galloway. They are pretty much a small specitaly market breed. Not sure why i actually think grass feed Galloway taste a lot better then Angus sweeter flavor to the beef.
But I am impressed your raising Angus like that your doing something I wasnāt able to do well here. The farms that have Angus and Herifords here have to keep them in a barn closed up most all winter my Galloway cows go in and out as they choose. I have to call them in most mornings to feed them.
Oh well off to work up some wood before the storm comes in tonight. Everyone stay warm this winter isnāt giving up on the cold anytime soon.
We keep animals like that here in winter, in way more cold. My parents keep charolais the same, any of the short eared breeds do fine in the cold. Best practice here is to have an open south facing shed, that way the straw doesnāt get snowed on, they enjoy laying in the sun, and it can be cleaned out in the summer with a tractor.
Heated water tank (wood is the best of course), and round bale feeders, and life is good. The cattle will grow a winter coat, and the bigger breeds have less surface area to lose heat from. Keeping warm requires calories (feed), so good bedding and warm water help offset.
Hey Tom, thatās true. Iāve been on a 10/12 roof in west Georgia for the past few days. Itās cold enough to freeze a polar bear solid here right now. It was 4 F yesterday. And this Florida boy donāt like it one bit.
But to be honest and fair, it would be down right disrespectful too seriously compare this to -30 F. So I just whine all day about my fingers going numb handling metal roofing and walking on frozen shingles, while all the time I praise God that It will end in a week or so.
Besides that; itās very unlikely that we down here would freeze to a DOWcicle even at 4 F.
And your welcome to stop in any time.
Yeah Wayne, I agree, but we got behind with our schedule because of the snow and are kinda stuck with a nasty roof this week in Palmetto, GA. So the days I thought were behind me (the āIām-young-and-working-for-someone-else-so-I- have-to-go-out-even-though-I-donāt-want-to-daysā), are not gone after all. Iām sure our yankee friends are all laughing at us pretty hard. But they donāt understand that I donāt even own a pair of coveralls or long underwear, or even a decent pair of gloves for that matter.
Hey Billy
I have plenty straw hats but they seems to make the matter worse .
I just put on all the clothes I can wear and still move some. I have a wool hat that reminds me of the hat of the handyman on the Bob Newhart show. That works pretty good
Billy
I am sure that those north of me think of me as a southerner also. I would love to be a fly on the wall during one of your educational events. Maybe some year. Meanwhile lets make fun of each other to celebrate our differences as we learn together.
Wow a 10 12 roof.
that means 6 ropes and a one handed operator if I was on it. Be very careful.
Pajama pants will sub for long johns somewhat kinda but better than nothing. Stay warm and safe the next few days
As long as we are complaining about the weather, I still got a couple of cents. I was born and raised in Michigan about 3 miles from the Indiana border in of course, southern Mi. I went to college in the UP of Mi. about 20 miles from the furthest point north in Mi. ( about 130 miles north from where I live now in Wi.) In winter in the UP it got down to -40f quite often. I wore a stocking cap and what would be considered a ājacketā. When I went home to So. Mi. for Christmas holiday, it would be +29f and because of a much higher humidity, I had to wear the heaviest coat with sweat shirts and a flannel shirt. My point is 0 isnāt always 0 even if you stay in the f or C table. Thinking of the people in those warm-er areas with higher humidity. TomC
Tom your right the humidity and also the wind have a lot to do with the cold.
Billy 4F is too cold to be on a roof unless you got a shovel and are afraid the roof will cave in if you donāt go up there. My roofs are all steep metal so I donāt go up thereā¦ be mighty careful on that roof in the cold because frost is mighty slippery.
It warmed up to about 20f today and even with the humid air from the storm coming it it felt like summer no wind and I got a bunch of stuff done outside. Now I am as ready as I can be for 2 days of snowā¦ still hoping to sneak in a little more wood cutting in the am but donāt really expect the weather to be good enough. Oh well at least I get to sit by the light of my wood stove on these cold nights. We are still on the plus side tonight so life is good.
Hey Don.
I see that South Carolina has a least one more snow plow than Alabama. 
My power snow shovel is smaller than that one and i just finished plowing my drive at 6 degrees f.
mysnow pusher plow was made from broke snow blower, turned plow with just adding bigger tractor tires with home made tire chains from old chainfall chain.had about 5" the other time, this snow fall was only 2" or so.My drive way has a bigish hill before the road entrance so i have too keep it scraped. Nice cool work out i am drying my close from sweating in winter time. HWWT.
Sir, not me. - - you be careful on them there roofs !
Differences are good I figureā¦mostlyā¦
10/12 is generally quite normal and not a problem at all. But frozen shingles in the shade tend to be like ice ball bearings. Even our āsquirrelsā (guys that run around on a 12/12 better than walking on flat ground) are having a hard time sticking on this metal as it goes up. They just have to keep walking and sliding downward. I never could really feel comfortable doing that like they can, but I can normally handle a 10/12 with no problem. I get a little more nervous on three stories. And in the summer it is real easy to stick to it with the right shoes. Sometimes the metal surface is 130F, so the right rubber will practically melt itself to the roof in the summer. We finally got out of the shade today. Half this house never sees the sun. That makes for some cold slippery frozen days this week. Anyway, itās all good. Iām not going back tomorrow. Get to deliver a 12x 24 barn instead.
It occurred to me today to ask, āWhere do you buy clothes for cold weather?ā I know thatās probably a funny question for most of you, but all my clothes come from the thrift store, and Iām sure I never see anything for real cold weather there. Who sells the stuff? Do you have to order it from somewhere? Iām sure up north it is sold at regular stores.
Don, I want one of those snow plows. I can imagine an ALDOT sign on it.
@BillyAlabama
I switch between Carharts if Iām feeling rich to whatever Walmart has the rest of the time. All I buy anymore are insulated bibs and a jacket. With bibs you can add or remove layers throughout the day and still have plenty of upper body movement. Make sure to get them a little big. Where I live I order online from Walmart quite a bit and believe this for sure, it beats the heck out of driving the 160 miles round trip.
Hope that help a bit.
Don that scdot plow look allmost like a sawed off vw rabit back in the 80ās, I may need one like that before long, i have arther moveing in my joints allready.Then again exersise keeps one younger or maybe at least Heathyāer.
Be carfull roofing billy in the cold, its hard enough for me too roof in warm weather. No Laffing matter too me at all, use safe gaurds be cause if there is a way an accident can happen it probbly will, is my theiry.
Billy I buy Duofold menās medium weight wicking thermal pants from Amazon and for cheaper wool socks I get peopleās socks also from Amazon. For good wool socks and sweaters I go to L L Bean they are local here and online as well and have all kinds of great winter cloths they are expensive but come with a lifetime warranty against defects. If you want to make the trip I am sure the thrift shop here has some great stuffā¦ lol. Actually I have to confess I have not been in there I have an army coat i have had for ever since high school and a snowmobile suit I bought back then as well so very old winter coats. The rest of the stuff I have is mostly gifts people in my family love to give you something like a wool sweater for Christmas.
As far as flannel lined jeans I donāt bother a good pair of thermals under regular jeans is much warmer.
Army surplus is also a great place along with sportmans guid online.
Iām a big wuss when it comes to cold weather.
My wife works at a thrift store in town 1 day a week. I have a few insulated jeans and insulated flannel shirts. Thatās where I get all my clothes too except for my Carhartts. -10 below and colder I pull out the Carhartt bibs with my Carhartt coat. The only thing I havenāt been able to find is a good pair of insulated work gloves. So I have two pair. I wear one pair while the other is warming up next to the wood stove.
I only wish I could find a decent pair of insulated work gloves! I feel more times than not insulated gloves are more of a hindrance than help on a lot of jobs and just go with leather work gloves.
When I have to be on my 4-wheeler in the bad cold I wear a pair of mittens from Scheels and āHot Handsā and have found putting the hot hands on top of your fingertips is the way to go.
A little tip I learned as a kid in the log millsā¦because you will generally wear out one glove faster than the other, always save the good one. If you take a right handed glove and turn it inside out you now have a left handed glove.