The forecast for tomorrow is 8-12" of snow followed by temperatures dropping to as low as 20* below zero over night. Sunday is expected to warm all the way up the 2* above zero, a regular heat wave. Everyone got a new layer of hay in their bedding today, hope that helps keep them a bit warmer.
The chickens water container now sports a hat to help slow down the freezing process, hey whatever works.
The goats will venture out into the snow if I am there with them - looking for food of course. Thankfully they won't mess with the eggs. I picked up some old shirts from Goodwill today and will trying them on the goats tomorrow. I'm sure they will like it :), but if it keeps them a bit warmer it will have been worth it. Hopefully a few pictures tomorrow.
I love the hat on the chicken waterer- that's hilarious. I do not have much luck keeping clothing on goats. Maybe yours are better than mine.
ReplyDeleteI hope the goaties like their shirts--what a great idea. Does the hat work on the waterer? I am needing all good ideas :)
ReplyDeleteAmy
Oh man, stay warm! And yes, please take pics of their new shirts. (snicker)
ReplyDeleteDonna, I got the clothing for farm animals idea from you!
ReplyDeleteAmy, The hat has helped - tonight and tomorrow will be a big test.
Christine, Pictures will follow if the goats don't kill me or if I don't die from laughter.
I'll be waiting for the pics of the goats with clothes on! I like the hat on the waterer. Do you have a heater in the coop for the chickens?
ReplyDeleteLynn, No heaters or electricity - that is on the list for next year.
ReplyDeleteMy advise, and I've lived in the northwoods of MN for about 15 years now and had chickens and goats. The shirts for the goats will probably not do much good. In theory it's a good idea but if it prevents them from being able to puff themselves up you could end up hampering their own abilities to keep warm. Thing of birds in the cold, they puff their feathers to trap air for insulation, animals with hair/fur tend to have great undercoats of fuzzy fluffly stuff. Goats (all goats) have cashmere ( it's really warm, ask anyone whit a cahsmere sweater). As for the chicken water,, nothing to doabout that but refill it with warmish water a few times a day. I'd tried those heated buckets for the goats (they won't drink cold water in winter) and heaters for the chickens water too. Nothing worked in the deep freezing cold we get up here. The bottoms broke out of the buckets. There is a metal heater pad and water for chickens, I've never used them. My chickens are free ranged year around and their coop is NOT heated, I don't even have a lamp in there (yea I'm mean) The worse that has ever happened to any of them is that they combs have frozen. They don't grow back and it does NOT make roosters or hens infertile, I have chicks every spring. I also have geese and they do very well also. I just make sure they have a bucket of warmish water for them.
ReplyDeleteI have chickens that are at least 10 years old and are doing just fine. Extra straw is a good idea.
Good luck! Keep warm.
Marchwind, Thank you - I'm going to think about the shirts now. Nice to know about the heated buckets.
ReplyDeleteWhat city do you live by?
Wonderful solution with the hat! LOL
ReplyDelete~Faith
Chai Chai, I'm near Bemidji, just north about 20 miles. Ask the Commander he knows me from work.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I've offered my teaching services to you via him for spinning and knitting and all things fiber related.
Those buckets(plastic) are a waste of money, at least in my experience. They are expensive and the three I tried froze out in no time. I tried them on the ground surrounded by straw for insulation and off the ground. It didn't seem to matter. If you can rig up something closer to a water tank, more than a foot in diameter and more than a few feet deep I have some stock tank heaters I can give you that worked well for the horses. If you can let me know I'll send them home with the Commander when he is in town next.
That goes beyond cold!!! I will stop complaining about the rain we are getting ;) I love the hat on the chicken waterer.
ReplyDeleteHi I came over from Grandpa's blog. Your goats are cute, and I love the hat on the water. I hope you stay warm.
ReplyDeleteTJL, Thanks for stopping by - GrandPa runs a nice blog over on his side of the world! The hat has been working, cold tonight though, down to 16* below zero.
ReplyDelete