Up here in northern OK we are having to deal with some very cold weather!
On Sunday (10-29-23) the "warmest" part of the day was about 36 degrees, and this morning it was 16 degrees! We don't have our barn yet, so keeping all these animals warm has been quite a challenge.
We had to build a chicken coop on the fly and put up a tarp shelter for the goats. The pigs and rabbits (except for one tractor) already had good enough shelter, and we just repaired our duck house.
In this blog I'll give you some tips on how to keep your animals healthy and happy even in the coldest weather. How cold is cold? For farm animals no longer needing their mother, below about 50 degrees (especially if it's windy or raining).
Keeping Warm
Most adult farm animals don't need additional heat even if it is very cold as long as they are:
Dry
Clean
Healthy
Out of the wind
On clean bedding
Dry
Wet animals will get too cold very quickly. So, make sure that they can get out of the rain and off wet ground. Be careful of blowing rain or snow, you might think your animals are under cover, but rain and snow can blow a lot farther than you might think. Generally, it's best to have animals in four walled shelters during cold, wet weather.
Clean
Dirty coats don't insulate well, and while it's important to keep animals clean all the time, it's especially important during cold weather. Cleanliness gets harder with chilly temperatures. The combination of wetness and the fact that they are typically in one area for long periods of time, can result in unsanitary conditions if you aren't careful. If you are using the deep bedding system, be sure to add new bedding at least every couple of days on any wet or dirty spots.
Healthy
If any of your animals are sick, or hurt, you may need to give them additional heat. Their bodies are already being stressed by sickness or injury, and having to try and keep warm at the same time could slow down the healing process or make them worse. If you are
Some of our hens had gotten wet before we got their
new coop out to them.
unable to give an injured or sick animal a source of heat, take extra care to be sure they are in a dry, draft free environment with plenty of clean, dry bedding.
Out of the Wind
Very few animals can regulate their bodies temperature very well if they can't get out of the wind. Facing all of your shelters opposite the prevailing winter wind (typically south or southeast) will make keeping them out of the wind a lot easier.
At our previous house there was an existing building that we used for our goats. It faced north though, so every winter we would be out there building makeshift wind blocks for our goats. We couldn't get the wind completely blocked, so we would have to give them heat lamps as well.
Our new barn door will face northwest but there are acers of dense woods only about 30 feet away to block the wind. It will also have a sliding door so we can close it most of the way when it's cold and windy.
On Clean Bedding
Dirty bedding is not only unsanitary, but it also tends to be wet, neither of which are good for keeping animals warm. You should put down at least six inches of bedding when it's cold. Straw is the best to use since the hollow straws help with insulation, it is also more absorbent than hay.
Hay tends to be damp, and shavings don't insulate as well. There are other things that can be used as bedding, but we haven't tried them and don't know how well they work.
Water
Ensuring your animals stay hydrated during subfreezing temps is very important. Dehydration can make it even harder for them to stay warm. There are basically three options when it comes to watering your farm when it's freezing out.
Heat the building, heat the waterers, or carry water out every few hours. Heating the building is not likely to be an option with larger animals. If your animals are within reach of electricity, I recommend that you use either a heated waterer or a deicer.
There are heated waterers and deicers available for almost all farm animals except (as far as I know) rabbits.
For rabbits you will probably need to bring water to them every couple of hours or put a heat lamp next to their enclosure and put the waterer near that. Rabbits are very prone to chewing, so you don't want any electrical cords in their homes.
If you decide to go with the carry method for your animals, you will need to check their waterers every two to three hours if the temperature is below 30 degrees. Above that, you should be fine checking three times a day. The only time you will need to check the water at night is if you have a mother that could have babies. Our goats have drunk up to two gallons of water after kidding, and you wouldn't want to put more stress on her by having the water be frozen.
Although if you are expecting babies during freezing weather, you probably have some kind of heat out there and you could just put the waterer near it. When carrying water out to your animals I highly recommend that you use covered containers. The worst thing is when it's freezing out and you are splashing water all over!
We use the five-gallon refillable bottles that you get when you buy water from Lowes. They are sturdy and while they don't have lids the top is so narrow that very little water spills.
It's best to use rubber bowls or tubs if you aren't using heated waterers as they won't break, and their flexibility makes the ice easier to remove.
We have broken even metal buckets by trying to break ice.
Chickens
Chickens typically do fine in the cold as long as you follow the above tips. However, large-combed roosters can get frostbite on their combs since they don't tuck their heads under their wings like hens do. We had this happen to one of our roosters when the temperature dropped to the single digits.
If it's going to get into the teens or below, I would try to heat your coop if you have large-combed roosters. Heating the coop may also help your hens lay better during the cold.
Chicks will obviously need extra heat; be sure they aren't getting too cold if the temperature drops suddenly. You may need to give them a second heat lamp or move them to (or create) a more insulated place.
Goats
While our goats don't like the cold, they have been fine even when the wind chill was down to -29 degrees, and it was snowing.
Pigs
Pigs large, dense bodies give off a lot of heat. So, they should be just fine in an A-frame shelter with plenty of straw. Even newborn piglets have survived -20 degrees. The shape of the A-frame causes the heat that rises from them to fall back down keeping them warm. They will need extra heat if they aren't in an A-frame as they can get frostbite because of their thin coats.
Rabbits
Rabbits do great in the cold! Just give them a place to get out of the wind and a nest box full of straw and they will be happy in their thick fur coats! If your does will be kindling (having bunnies) during temperatures below 40 degrees, it's a good idea to put a heat lamp over the nest box until they grow a little fur (this only takes a few days).
Ducks
Ducks don't seem to mind the cold even if it's windy and rainy, they even still love to swim in it! We gave ours a house and they just sat out in the wind and rain! Their webbed feet don't do very well on ice though, (but it's funny to watch them try!) so be sure they have access to food and water without having to walk on ice.
Food
The calories from food help keep animals warm, so don't let them run out!
Well, hopefully this blog will help you enjoy your farm even when the temperatures fall without having to worry about if your animals are going to make it or not!
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