They’ve got additional safety features that make it much less likely that they will start a barn fire.Īn alternative to heat lamps is to either make goat kid coats or provide the kids with huts to warm up in. We like these choices better than the standard metal heat lamps commonly found in stores. I’m not big on recommending brands, but we’ve switched over to the sturdy plastic heat lamps from Premier1 Supply or carbon fiber lamps ( shown here). However, heat lamps are also the #1 cause of barn fires! So, if using heat lamps, it’s critical to use sturdy models built for barn usage and use them correctly. When does are due to kid during cold weather, in addition to being present to help get the kids dried off quickly, many goat owners use heat lamps to keep the kids warm. Wild Wind Farm Jewel Box w/2nd Freshening Triplets (Hours Old) Adding Supplemental Heat We also think that folks should have these basic goat kidding supplies on hand too. We hear stories of this each winter and it makes us sad. Otherwise, the babies (or some parts of the babies) freeze. If temperatures are close to or below freezing, I think goat owners really need to be present when the babies are born to get them dried off quickly. They’re born wet and don’t have that dry protective layer. So, providing them with warm water is important not just because they like it, but because it also keeps them healthy.
I’ve been quite shocked by how much they prefer the warm water, how big a drink they’ll take, and how warm (hot) they actually like it.įor those of us keeping bucks and wethers, it’s important to remember that keeping lots of water moving through their systems helps prevent urinary calculi. One thing that all goats do seem to enjoy in cold weather is warm drinking water. Wild Wind Farm Jewel Box in Winter Coat They Prefer Warm Drinking Water
One way to think about it is if you can bundle up sufficiently to tolerate the temperature where you’re housing them then they should be able to tolerate it with their protection. It keeps warm air trapped around their bodies.Īs long as they can keep that protective layer around them (and it’s not wet or has wind cutting through it), then they can tolerate cold temperatures.
The fluffy cashmere fibers puff out to surround them (that’s why they look so fuzzy in winter). In winter, Nigerian Dwarf goats grow a nice undercoat of cashmere that helps to keep them warm. We have Maine friends that don’t provide additional heat in their barns, and they’ve successfully kept goats for many years. If goats are housed so that they can get out of the wind and stay dry (and they’re receiving adequate nutrition and health care), then they generally tolerate temperatures that cold without issue.Įven in the coldest US areas, goats tolerate the cold winter temperatures if they’re dry and protected from the wind.
Adult Goats Handle Cold – If Not Wet or Windy We live in Northeastern Ohio, so temperatures of -15☏ are pretty common. Nigerian Dwarf goats, folks seem to question whether they can take the cold. Perhaps because ours are the smaller, cute, and fuzzy How much cold goats can take is a question we get asked each winter fairly often.
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