If you keep goats, what’s your setup for the cold months?
And what would you do differently from last winter? If this is your first winter with goats, ask away here too. Tell us roughly where you are, since cold means something different everywhere.
Good question to kick off, and goats in winter is a topic I’ve got some opinions on.
Hay and feed: When the pasture goes dormant, good grass hay becomes the backbone. I bump up the amount noticeably — goats burn more just staying warm. If I’ve got does in late pregnancy or heavy milk production, that’s when I bring in alfalfa or a quality legume mix to keep condition on them. A loose goat mineral, free-choice, matters all year but especially when they’re not grazing varied forage.
Shelter: They don’t need a heated barn, but they absolutely need dry and draft-free. A three-sided run-in with the open side away from your prevailing wind does the job for a lot of folks. Deep bedding — I like straw — builds up a surprising amount of warmth from below. Wet bedding is the enemy; I’d rather muck more often than let it sit.
Water: This is the one that’ll wear you out. Heated buckets or a tank de-icer are worth every penny once you’ve hauled warm water twice a day in January. If you’re off-grid or don’t have power to the barn, insulating the tank and using larger volume (freezes slower) buys you time. Goats that don’t drink enough eat less hay, and that’s a problem.
What I’d do differently: I’d get the bedding situation sorted before the first cold snap rather than scrambling. Every year I tell myself that.
Where are you folks keeping goats? And what’s tripping you up heading into this winter?