 All of you in the cold snap areas please remember to bundle yourselves well and stay safe. You will need extra calories to stay warm. Protect your skin! Please make sure your animals (even pigs) have extra grass hay accessible to help them create warmth and deep bedding.
Be sure they are in areas where the wind and weather can stay off of them and not blow in from the sides. Some overhead fresh air movement is good- I like mine at the eight foot level so it's not near me when standing or my stock. Fragile, old, or very young animals may need to be in a heated area such as a milkroom, tackroom area, enclosed heatable stall or even a back porch or extra bathroom (40 degrees for a room is plenty warm as long as they have good food and bedding). Be extremely wary of heat lamps which are responsible for many barn fires. They can shatter if they fall, if an animal bumps into one, or if an animal shakes their head and spashes water droplets on it. Offer warm water to drink if possible with black strap molasses (not feed store, but health food store) in it for more b vitamins. You can also put a large pinch of cayenne herb powder per large goat, a small pinch per small goat in their water to help them with endurance, more b's and help warm their core more and support their heart. Fragile animals can be carefully drenched with their cayenne if you mix it with one or two ounces of water. BIG HUGS From All of us at Fir Meadow LLC |
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