Official Poll: How do you care for your herds during winter?

[butteryscotch]

It's the hight of summer here atm, but I guess it's still relevant.

Wind is probably one of the larger issues here (I'm in the coldest part of the county, not including Tasmania. But it still never gets as dangerously cold as it can in northern north America), so having good housing is a priority. Snow is an annual deal, but in all except very extreme cases, they're fine without any extra help. If it did get serious, I'd probably keep coverings and straw to keep the temp up.

 

[lavslady]

My goats have open access to their straw covered stable in the shed. They like to sleep on a wooden pallet, so

my grandson built them a corner "shelf" to let them sleep up off the ground if they want to, or cozy up together underneath. They forage all around their 1/2 acre year-round. They don't like the rain, and mostly stay in the shed when it's raining hard. They LOVE Christmas trees! My kids bring their used trees up here for my goats to "recycle."

 

[TIPPY THE HIPPY]

We use headed buckets and stock tank heaters for the water. The rabbits get dish pans that are filled twice a day until I can get our heated autowater system put up and running. We use empty feed bags stapled to the walls for draft protection. I also practice deep bedding for all my animals in the winter. I feed them a higher protein feed as well.

 

[cjc]

We don't keep any other animals during the winter if we don't have to. We do cows and chickens in the winter. For the chickens we do use heat lamps, we are in Canada but in BC so it's cold but never goes below -5....-5 would be freezing for us.

Our cows manage fine on their own. For us our main concern is water as it rains a ton in BC. We are always looking for ways to keep them dry and we try our best to always ensure their shelter has dry bedding. But they are funny buggers, sometimes they will all be curled up in the field sleeping in the pouring rain.

We don't breed our girls so they have young calves in the winter but if we did have a late calf we would blanket the calf.

We have heat in our automatic water in the fields to ensure their water doesn't freeze but it sometimes still does. We just take a good old ax to the water in the morning and problem solved.

We do have to feed round bales to them during the winter months. They still do graze as its not cold enough for our grass to die out here but they rely heavily on the hay. This year there was a major hay shortage so it made for a tough find. And also because of the rain...we have to have the hay in their shelter or they will be eating nothing but mold.

 

[ladyh]

I don't do anything. I believe they do well without human intervention. I have had no problems during winter, letting them find they own way and do their own thing. The more a human interferes with human issues, that's when problems arise. They have a coat to keep warm and get water in the am. Mine are healthy and I have never had issues health wise.

 

[goatgurl]

goats and sheep can run in and out of the barn as they wish. i use deep litter bedding in the barn and like that it warms from the floor up. I've used this method for years and no i have never had a fire from spontaneous combustion. they have hay 24/7 with round bales outside and square bales in the barn if it is raining. the chickens and ducks free range all year long and get cracked corn daily and lay pellets in the house daily. the rabbits have free choice hay all day and pellets daily. the only thing i change for them is from plastic water bottles to small rubber tubs when it freezes. just twist them and the frozen water pops out and add more from the warm jug i carry from the house

 

[fluffycreatures]

Many same as others. Heated pails hot water and lots of hay. They pull out waste hay over the ground and it doesn't get moved till spring. Windbreaks and shelters but mine are fiber animals with good coats . Storms and wind are the biggest issues. Otherwise they are outside all the time. I heat my rabbitry to above freezing with an oil filled heater so no fire hazard. I love it. No heat lamps as a fire hazard . Dianne

 

[n8ivetxn]

We don't normally have sub freezing temps for long periods. Mostly it's just rain and 35 at night, 45 during the day. So, I try to keep bedding dry - I like the cheap hay too, as opposed to straw. If there are new lambs and it's cold, I'll put a heat lamp out for them (firmly secured).

Other than that, everybody has plenty of good quality hay, clean fresh water and mineral with baking soda.

It really helps too if the animals go into winter in good body condition, not too thin...

 

[Sheepshape]

I keep sheep and chickens. I choose hardy breeds.

So,silage for the sheep in the winter when the grass isn't growing and sheep pellets 4 weeks before pregnant sheep due to lamb. Multiple pregnancies bought in overnight, singletons only if it is either very wet or very cold. Straw bedding in the barn. Rams get ram food and silage plus stay outside.

Chickens, no change in management. They have warm porridge throughout the year.

 

[SpringCrkFarmTN]

We have sheep & they stay nice & cozy in the barn with straw lined stalls. We make sure they always have plenty of hay that is free from the weather because it is in another part of the barn-their own personal feed room or kitchen! They also have fresh water from a small creek on the farm near the barn that they stay in when it's freezing. When they venture out of the barn, they have fresh hay bales in hay feeders & free choice mineral in the mineral feeders.