Winter Care For Goats

As winter approaches many goat owners are concerned with how their goats will handle the winter months and what they have to do to make sure that their goats are well taken care. Goats can handle the cold very well but they really need shelter. If they get wet from snow or rain/ice it is hard for them to stay warm and then they could get sick. The best thing you can do for your goats is to have a good shelter for them.

Our does are due in December so we have them in the barn from November to early spring. Keeping them in the barn ensures that we can keep an eye on them and their babies. Keeping them in the barn makes sure that the lowest goat in the herd order will still have shelter and not be kicked out of the shed by the top goats. Kids are more susceptible to the cold then adults. We do use heat lamps when it is really cold for the baby goats. If you do use heat lamps make sure you are using them carefully so that you do not have a barn fire.

Adult goats will adjust to the temperature changes as it gets colder. They will grow a thicker coat to say warm. I have seen some people put little jackets on their goats but it is better to just let them adjust on their own and not mess up their natural ways of dealing with the cold. We keep the top doors open in the barn until the kids are born or until it gets really cold. We want them to be able to handle the cold without having to supplement them with heat. Obviously, the kids need a little more heat the first few weeks of life. I would strongly suggest not heating your goat barn. It would just make it harder for them to adjust to the normal outside temperatures. This is especially true if you lock them up at night in a nice warm shed and then let them outside during the day. It will be hard for them to adjust from being super warm to cold and might lead to sickness.

A good shed where they can get out of the wind, rain and snow/ice should be suitable enough for you goats. Obviously, old goats and very young goats will have a harder time keeping their temperature up during the winter months. Be sure to check on them to see if they are cold. You should know your goats well enough to be able to tell if they are not acting right. Check their temperature if you are unsure. A goat's temperature should be between 101.5 to 103.5.

Hay and or feed is important to keep you goats warm and healthy. We make sure that our goats have a constant supply of hay. The colder it is the more they will eat to stay warm. This is their normal response to cold temperatures. It makes them have more inside to ruminate and stay warm.

Fresh unfrozen water is also very important. This may be an area that a lot of us struggle with in keeping their water unfrozen. It may mean taking warm water out to them or replacing frozen water with fresh water frequently. However you do it, you must make sure they have plenty of water to drink. We have a large bucket just inside the door of the barn for them. Last year we only used a water heater in it a few times when it was really cold. The goats keep the barn warm enough that it does not freeze unless it is in the single digits.

Bugs and lice are more common on goats in the winter time. The lice and bugs like to be warm and they think the goat is the perfect place to live. Thankfully the lice that goats get is not transmittable to humans. But you still need to take care of your goats. We apply Cylence on the back of each goat soon after we place them in the barn for the winter and then two weeks after the initial application we do it again. From then on we just watch and check them and administer as needed. You will see the goats itching a lot more then normal if they have bugs. If you do see that one goat is itching a lot it is recommended that you treat the whole herd. They might not all have it right then but they have been exposed to it. By treating all the goats at the same time you treat the goat that has the bugs you kill all bugs from everyone at once so they can't keep breeding.

Goat kids are more likely to succumb to the cold then healthy adults. Our does kid in December so we must be careful that the kids do not get too cold and die. Check your kids often and make sure they are acting normal. Check their temperature if they are acting werid. One time we noticed that one of them was standing hunched so we took its temperature and it was low. A normal temperature in a goat is 101.5 to 103.5 degrees. Another quick way to see if your kid is cold is by sticking your finger in its mouth; it should be warmer then your body temperature.

To warm up a kid place them in a garbage bag with their head sticking out and put them in a bucket of hot/warm water. Being careful not to get the kid wet. After letting them in the bucket for awhile take them out and wrap them in a warm towel and place in a warm spot. We placed ours by the woodstove and on a heat pad for an hour or so. Then we check temperature again and once the temperature gets back up to normal you can take them back to their mama. Make sure they drink from their mama as this will help them stay warm. Do not try to feed a cold kid. If you have a kid that is not drinking you should check it's temperature. They cannot eat when they are cold. For our little kid that was cold we milked her mama and fed it a little but before placing it back in the barn with it's mother.

Tell us your experiences with the cold. Have you figured out any easier ways to keep your water from freezing without using a heater. I know some people are concerned about using heat lamps and water heater for safely purposes. So what do you use?