Eating Habits When It's Cold

themorethemerrier

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Do goats eat as well when it is cold as when the temperatures are more moderate? I've read in several places that goats will eat to keep warm but mine tend to eat less when it is cold. Is this normal? Do other folks see the same thing with their goats?

And just for perspective, it is 17 degrees here today, with 35 mile an hour winds, making it feel like -2 degrees. My five goats are all in the barn where the temperature is more like 28 degrees, well ventilated and no drafts. I fed them fresh hay yesterday afternoon, before the storm hit last night, and it looks like it has hardly been touched. They did this with the last storm too. They are all acting normal but it concerns me that they seem to go days without eating much when it turns cold.
 

Fullhousefarm

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Mine are always pigs. (Well except Tootsie, but I'd imagine that will change eventually). I've found no correlation to hot/cold at all, though "cold" here is 40' or lower and my goats have never seen below 28'.
 

BlessedWithGoats

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My goats still usually go for the hay, even though it's colder out. They love their food! :)
Are your goats eating anything at all? Can you take their temperature?
 

themorethemerrier

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I just went out to check on them and not much had been eaten since this morning. So, I took a flake of hay and sat down in the middle of them, put it in my lap and they all ate like crazy. All of that was eaten and even more from the hay feeder. So, they are eating, especially if I'm around. And they eat leaves (raked up a bunch and bagged them for winter treats) and pellets whenever given.
 

OneFineAcre

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In general, mine tend to eat more hay when it's colder.

However, they tend to eat less when they are cooped up inside because of bad weather outside. Here that is usually rain.
 

themorethemerrier

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Maybe that's what it is...and by me coming out to the barn for a visit, their "moods" improved and they decided eating was a good idea after all. Yeah, don't have problems with them eating when the barn is opened up and they can come and go. Hard to do that with such cold temps and horizontal snow! OneFineAcre, you may have hit on something there!! Perhaps I just need to visit more often when the weather is crummy and the kids are confined to make the barn less boring. I will try that...plus, makes my work day better too! :)
 

OneFineAcre

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Maybe that's what it is...and by me coming out to the barn for a visit, their "moods" improved and they decided eating was a good idea after all. Yeah, don't have problems with them eating when the barn is opened up and they can come and go. Hard to do that with such cold temps and horizontal snow! OneFineAcre, you may have hit on something there!! Perhaps I just need to visit more often when the weather is crummy and the kids are confined to make the barn less boring. I will try that...plus, makes my work day better too! :)

I bet thats it. ;)
 

themorethemerrier

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Thanks, all!! I love knowing that if I have a question/concern, you all are so good to respond quickly and wisely! :love
 
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