12/31/2024
As everyone knows we are looking at some sustained below freezing temperatures next week. I had a timely request for a post about cold weather goat tips!
🔵 My top tip is to keep them FED! Heat is a byproduct of digestion and hay in particular is a good heat producer in the rumen. Keep an eye on rumen fill (seen in that triangle on the left side between the rib, back, and hip)- picky eaters might have opinions about the hay situation and while I'm usually one for making mine clean things up a bit, now is not the time, we have to make sure they're eating hay well to stay warm.
🔵 Provide deep straw bedding that they can bed down in, in an area with minimal drafts. Allow them to have buddies and share body heat. In one of these pictures, temps outside were below zero and even though I'd set up a heat lamp to make a nice warm area for young kids, they preferred to be out with their moms, huddling together.
🔵 Consider providing coats for compromised animals- babies, older animals, thin animals, those with minimal shelter, etc. Generally I don't use a lot of coats and probably won't pull them out this time unless I see one of mine looking like they need it. (My goats will usually beat up on the adults in coats, at least for a little bit, unless they're all wearing coats!)
🔵 Keep water plentiful and clean. Remember to drain hoses before they can freeze (we use an air compressor to make that task easier). Have a backup plan in case you need to shuttle water from an alternative location for some reason. Consider hoses that are easy to bring inside to thaw just in case. (We installed Drinking Post watering systems after the Christmas 2022 cold snap, expensive but life changing.)
Some CAUTIONS:
❌ Don't completely close up your barn unless you know it has enough ventilation (mechanical or otherwise) to allow enough air exchange to prevent ammonia buildup. Check what the ammonia level is at ground level by getting down in the bedding where goats will be laying and breathing most of the time. Ammonia is an irritant to the lungs and contributes significantly to the ability of pathogens to cause pneumonia.
❌ Be careful using heat lamps- often not worth the fire risk. If they must be used, make sure they are double or triple secured, out of reach of animals and away from anything flammable. I also like to give animals the choice of using the heat lamp by providing a space away from it if they get too warm or would just rather stay warm other ways. Along the same lines, be cautious with tank heaters (goats like to pull them out), some have auto shutoff features but never depend on that. Protect any cords as much as possible.
❄️❄️❄️ Share your favorite winter weather preparation tips below! ❄️❄️❄️
