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     Jena Marutiak New member Username: jenam Post Number: 20 Registered: 11-2006 Posted From: 216.170.153.151 Rating: N/A |
We made it through the cold snap..it got down to 20 below! Heaven knows what the wind chill was. Thank you all for your advise. Between closing up thebarn, blocking the cracks in the walls, a bit of extra grain and a spiffy new sweater each they got thru the cold just fine.The little guy was downright skippy!:-) I tried to post a few days ago, but for some reason it didn't show up. hmmm.Thanks again! | ||
| Alex Cripps New member Username: hazydaynubians Post Number: 107 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 142.167.3.49  Rating: N/A |
It sounds like you are doing every thing youb can. I have a heated water tank for my does and they do great,But i also give them HOT tap water. It helps and i dont know have they can drink it but the hotter it is the warmer they get! Oats just fill them up and give them energy to keep warmer. thats why dairy does need more feed in colder temps because they put all their energy into keeping warm. Alex Cripps Hazy Day Nubians raising Nubians, Boers, Indian Runner Ducks www.hazydaynubians.piczo.com Apohaqui New Brunswick Canada | ||
| Megan Schefke New member Username: schef1mm Post Number: 71 Registered: 08-2006 Posted From: 64.105.216.245  Rating: N/A |
We had temps here in Michigan at about 10 below last night. I jsut made sure to keep my 3 little ones locked in the barn. I gave them some extra bedding, some oats (which they normally don't get at all, I just heard that this could help fill them up a little more), they always have hay, and I went out with warm water a little more often. They seemed fine this morning. I was really worried because this is my 1st winter with them but I'm begining to get more comfortable with the colder temps. Oh yeah, I also have dog coats that I put on them last night. Megan | ||
| Elaine Elder New member Username: elaine Post Number: 84 Registered: 12-2006 Posted From: 68.215.185.211  Rating: N/A |
When it is colder than usual here. I follow horse practice of increasing feed. I supplement my horses and goats with a Triple Crown senior feed for horses. The senior feed has alfalfa, and the biggest/best ingredient is beet pulp. It is highly digestable and puts calories into the system quickly with out disturbing the rumen. I also add 1/3 small bale alfalfa (About 10 inches of tight stack) and a bale of burmuda every day for 12 goats. When the temp is below 30 degrees at night they eat every bit of it. If the temp is only in the 40s, they don't eat it all. Elaine ee@andprinting.com | ||
| Cheryl Hayward New member Username: calliescomet Post Number: 55 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 67.0.132.206 Rating: N/A |
I have one comment to add about giving more corn when it is cold. Make sure it is not the whole corn, like you feed deer. It needs to be flaked or pressed corn like you see in the mobc/sweetfeed combos. Whole corn swells up in a goats stomach quickly, thus taking more water from them and can lead to an upset stomach very quickly. We live in Eastern Washington and experience lots of cold perodically with below 0 temps. I have found that increasing their hay keeps them happier and warmer. It isn't uncommon for us to go out late at night and find some of them curled up outside sleeping. Good luck with your goats. Cheryl CPR Boer Goats | ||
| Gary Pfalzbot Board Administrator Username: admin Post Number: 114 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 67.142.130.45  Rating: N/A |
Everyone has given some really good ideas here...one thing I do differently when it is cold is too feed a bit more corn than usual because it produces heat. I don't know how closely it applies to goats as it does cattle but for every degree it falls below 32 degrees, cattle require 1% more feed per degree...so at 0 degrees, 32% more feed is required...might be half that amount for goats. The reason I bring this up is because of the recent blizzards we've had here in Colorado and the bitter cold that has persisted. Alot of livestock have been lost and the 1% figure came from the Extension Office a few weeks back. One other interesting tidbit that might help is that quite a few livestock...goats, sheep, horses and cattle can take it down to as low as 60 below zero AS LONG AS...they have plenty of water and feed and are not eating snow for their water intake. When we lived in the mountains where it was actually much colder than we've had here, I can't remember losing any due to coldness as opposed to goats getting damp and stuck out in the wind and rain = sure death. But the feed and water really go quick the colder it gets. Of course it is tougher on the young kids so they bear keeping an eye on or making them a warmer place altogether. Best regards, GP Gary Pfalzbot, GoatWorld | ||
| Maggie Leman Moderator Username: maggieleman Post Number: 1779 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 71.111.242.73  Rating: N/A |
Sweatshirts and zip up coats make fine goat coats to keep them warmer. Dog sweaters work fine too! Go ahead close the windows. Maggie Leman Goat 911 Capri Medic | ||
| Don S. New member Username: don_s Post Number: 21 Registered: 01-2007 Posted From: 205.188.116.137  Rating: N/A |
Sounds like you got too much draft. Especially with exterior walls that got cracks. If it was me I would have those windows closed up. When I keep a goat stalled, about every 2 days I rake out the old bedding which consisted of a mat of old hay. Then I put down a thick layer of fresh clean bedding. I tried sprinkling baking soda on a urine soaked area in a stall the other day and it really took down the odor. It also be good if you can rotate them to another stall and let the first one air out for a few days. I hung up some of that blue plastic tarp when the cold wind got wild. Even tacking up large sheets of cardboard, plywood or make inner partitions with it creates a solid draft barrier. I personally do not think a heat lamp will do much good with a draft except to create a fire hazzard. Because of the pneumonia, you might look into vacinating with Super Poly Bac B Somnus or at least keep Poly Serum as a treatment. Both are available at Jeffers & Valley Vet Supply. I think the grain will help with energy. 1/2 cup daily does not sound too much. | ||
| Cindy Hance New member Username: chance Post Number: 158 Registered: 10-2005 Posted From: 65.255.132.151 Rating: N/A |
I don't think one night would hurt to close the windows especially with all your precuations and with just hte two if that is all your have. I'd close them up and air it out when it's warmer. How big is the barn? Does it reek at their level? I'd keep them out of the wind...do you have a heat lamp or heat mat of any kind? Do you have any tarps you can staple up to the outside of bldg to block the wind coming in there direction? Or even some blankets or straw or hay bales? Just do anything to block the wind and make sure they have thick layer under them to keep them off the cold ground. Hope this helps! Make sure they have plenty of hay that will keep them warmer. Best of luck with the temps. Or do you have a basement or utility room you could bring them in if it continues to drop? Agin not sure if these two are the only ones you are worried about. Cindy | ||
| Jena Marutiak New member Username: jenam Post Number: 19 Registered: 11-2006 Posted From: 216.170.153.151 Rating: N/A |
This may sound like a foolish question but I am really concerned about my Pygmy and Nigerian Dwarf. The temps are really brutal. I have them inside their stall with the barn doors closed. There are a few small windows that are open. I would like to close them, but I am worried that they may get sick because the bedding has urine etc and the vet said that the fumes will give them pheumonia. I use lime, and layer sawdust- pick up berries, and periodically use a microbial product like Barnfresh. He said that even though there is no smell in the stall- I get down to their level to check!- they still will become ill...and that I need to keep the windows open. It is a drafty barn because when it was built the wood was green, so there are gaps between boards.They are shivering in there, and I gave them warm water in the heated bucket.They are out of the wind, so that is good. Do you think they will get pneumonia if I close the windows? Could I give them an extra 1/2 cup of grain? I'm thinking that their bodies need extra fuel so they can keep warm. I just don't want to cause them more harm than good.I lost 2 this fall due to pneumonia and I couldn't bear to loose these ones. |