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I crested a month of doing chores in the cold and snow. That in and of itself is not really of significance. This isn’t the first year of winter chores and it most likely will not be the last. But each year about this time we begin the conversation of worth. Is it worth it to put all of this energy into the animal projects we maintain. Is it worth the money that is spent on extra feed that gains you nothing because it is lost to the need to produce heat.

This year given that the winter thus far has been somewhat extreme this conversation is more serious that normal. The chickens aren’t producing as many eggs as normal. The ducks stopped laying completely. And both the ducks and the geese are eating twice as much as normal if not a little more than that because we are completely snow covered. And unlike deer – ducks and geese – can’t dig through the snow pack to reach the grass.

Now this doesn’t mean that we are to toss all of our animals out come spring. But it does lead us down the uncomfortable path of most hobby farms. How do you justify the cost when the return is so little?Answers aren’t quite clear and there is a lot of gray areas.

For instance is is not easy to quantify into dollars the value in the worth of knowing what goes into your food and the pleasure of raising things yourself.

Lots to think about and consider.