# Goats and the weather



## karmouth (Dec 1, 2008)

My hat is off to all of you that have goats where the weather is inclement. A day and a half of nasty cold rain and I have about had it. I have 5 does that are in the last month of pregency so they get locked up each night in a kidding stall. I feed in the am and put them out in what I call the maternity ward ( a paddock close to the house ,so I can see them and hear them from the house . Well we all know how goats feel about rain .Cleaning 5 5x6 stalls with them in it and the 2 dogs right behind you is a royal pain.I dont know how you do it when you throw ice and snow in to it . I do love my goats but I thin


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## lesserweevil (Oct 5, 2007)

you think what? :?


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

I think it has to do with what you are use to. We get bad snow here all the time so we are use to it. You plan ahead and you will be fine.

I just had 6 does kid in the weather that was freezing, I mean like in the teens and one day below Zero, but you just make sure they have lots of bedding and water that is not frozen. 

I do not clean the stalls either, i just pack more straw in the stall. As long as it is not wet, they will be fine.


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## karmouth (Dec 1, 2008)

I am sorry about that dropping the sentence. I was cold !!! I love my goats but think I am just a fair weather goater .I Know that if I still lived in CT I would not have goats ,


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## FunnyRiverFarm (Sep 13, 2008)

I know where you are coming from with the rain and soggy-ness...Actually, that's probably the worst kind of weather when it comes to goats. We have around a foot of snow outside right now and I'm not looking forward to when it melts. I'll take snow and cold over rainy and wet any day...

I do the same as Sweetgoats for wintertime cleaning--just let it pile up (can you imagine trying to push a wheelbarrow through snow?). As long as the top layer is clean and dry the goats are happy. The stuff underneath creates heat as it decomposes so the goaties stay warmer. There won't be any odor until you go to clean it out in the spring and start sifting through all the layers...yuck!


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## karmouth (Dec 1, 2008)

I cant imagine dealing with that . I strip all the stalls every day when I put them up at night. I only put them in in the last month of pregnency and for the the 1st week or so after they kid . The weather most of the time in the winter is dry . The rain is much needed but it made the past 2 days a pain. They have 3 sided sheds in each paddock and I clean them out 3 times a week . I also take the leaf blower and blow the berries off the paddocks once a month in the winter when the grass is real short. I use to hand rake it but it got to be to much. I only have the goats on 2 1/2 acres so I like to keep it from getting to over run with manure. The up side is I have never had a worm problem.
Karen


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## lesserweevil (Oct 5, 2007)

Well, with winter cleaning and that, it is actually quite a good thing to leave the muck in the shed over the winter as it is warm and keeps the goats warmer than cleaning them out weekly or whatever. So what I do is leave the muck there but spread clean straw over it frequently - like at least once a week, actually I do it whenever it looks poopy, or whatever. (sorry that was BOTH sentences finishing with "or whatever" which is a bit OTT (or whatever, bwahaha) )

LW


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## ArcticGoats (Jun 9, 2008)

I agree with funnyriver - the wet stuff is way worse than frozen! Not only messy but colder! I am also letting the bedding pile up so my goats have a warm floor. We just had a cold snap (14 days of -40F or thereabouts, actually it was 10 days that never got above -40...) and I swear, I thought I could feel the heat coming off the floor. I tried to put a thermometer into it to see - but it was a digital kind with a wire sensor/probe and it was so cold that when I stretched out the wire to stick down into the bedding, it snapped off so my temperature experiment didn't work :greengrin:

Anyway, its warm now!!! :stars: We are having a chinook and its 3 degrees *above* and supposed to go to 30!!!! (that will be 80 degrees in about 48 hours). BUT!!!! I am thinking about mucking out the barn! :shocked: :shocked: The bedding is getting pretty thick and our winters are long - so if I don't do it now it will be super deep by spring (may) - I think this is my chance....
:sun:


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## Amos (Oct 2, 2008)

I think some people would start hyperventilating from this cold if they aren't used to it.. we had a couple days where it was -40 and then just yesterday in was -27 when I went out to do chores. I guess its all about what your used to.. Our priest fron Nigeria, when he came here he was fine becase it was the summer, but for the first month of winter he never left his house except to go to church. He said the coldest it ever gets in nigeria is 50, and otherwise it is usually 115.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Oh ActicGoats please get yourself a thermometer that u can stick in the bedding I would love to hear what the temps are! 
Mucking is pretty bad alright the stench is the worst part after a winter of build up.


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## ArcticGoats (Jun 9, 2008)

Hey Amos - Sorry you got our cold weather!!!!

I think I would die at 115oF!!!


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## Amos (Oct 2, 2008)

Haha, thats ok. Even though I thoroughly detest winter, I must admit that all of the cold can be very refreshing. I do ok with temperatures like that IF it is not windy. If its windy like it was yesterday, they might as well ship me to Africa.


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

I'm like Amos, cold doesn't bother me unless it is windy. Of course I live in a very very windy state :doh: :roll: I couldn't imagine 40 below, I'm sure our 15 below would be like a heatwave to you :lol:

I agree that its just something you get used to, I've lived here all my life but I never really actually got to experience winter until we got goats as odd as that sounds(then again winters were actually milder when I was younger) But you bundle up and tough it out. I like the cold better than the heat, at least you can put more clothes on when you're cold :wink:

Our goats don't really seem to mind the cold, we let their bedding pile up and clean out about once a month in the winter time(we have to clean it out when its needed due to our set-up) and we let the girls out everyday to go play in the snow.


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

> I thought I could feel the heat coming off the floor. I tried to put a thermometer into it to see - but it was a digital kind with a wire sensor/probe and it was so cold that when I stretched out the wire to stick down into the bedding, it snapped off so my temperature experiment didn't work


That's funny! I cleaned the bottom layer of our Pygmy girls pen, it was getting pretty high. I took the bottom layer out and when it hit the cold air, it was steaming! So, letting it pile up keeps 'em warm for sure! Sure does smell when you go to clean it though. I can't stand letting it get too bad, it just grosses me out. So, I clean at least once a week in the barn. In the sheds, I let it pile up more because it's a dirt floor.


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## creaturesall (Oct 26, 2007)

*A typical example of bad Canadian wether*


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## ArcticGoats (Jun 9, 2008)

:ROFL: hahahahaha - Bob! 

Sorry guys, the temperature probe for the bedding didn't happen! I cleaned the barn yesterday - had to, its my only chance as it was 40oF ABOVE!!! Its so warm, I think the air temp is warmer than the bedding temp now anyway! Maybe I'll get it next time!


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## MissMM (Oct 22, 2007)

At least someone is benefitting from this cold snap of -20 & worse temps for the third day in a row.... we brought our LGD into the house. She seems to be handling the climate change ok:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Awwwwww..........taking full advantage I see...LOL :ROFL:


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## ArcticGoats (Jun 9, 2008)

Sorry MissMM to send you our weather!! But after our 16 day cold snap, 14 of which it did not get as warm as 40 below we don't feel toooooo bad LOL! This is the first time since Oct 18 that its gotten above 20 above! Forecast - its to be back to our regular 20 below by Monday or Tuesday.

p.s. I still think your LGD is gorgeous!


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## MissMM (Oct 22, 2007)

ok......... you've got the market cornered on freezing cold temps...........

Athena has moved only slightly in the last 2 hours


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## ArcticGoats (Jun 9, 2008)

Still - Sorry about the cold - it was unusually bad for us too! :wink:


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## Amos (Oct 2, 2008)

Not your fault, you cannot control the weather :wink: 

Defininetly not the first nor the last time it will get that cold in MN.


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## MissMM (Oct 22, 2007)

Definitely not your fault.... but I vote that you take the cold weather back  I've got heated water buckets & they're still freezing over. Thank goodness I got extras as an XMas gift & can rotate them out b/4 I freeze too when giving fresh water......

Not funny, but still kinda.... I've had to remove the metal handle of the buckets... Norbert got his nose stuck to it. Poor guy. Now he's got a sore spot on the tip of his nose.


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

MissMM said:


> Definitely not your fault.... but I vote that you take the cold weather back  I've got heated water buckets & they're still freezing over. Thank goodness I got extras as an XMas gift & can rotate them out b/4 I freeze too when giving fresh water......
> 
> Not funny, but still kinda.... I've had to remove the metal handle of the buckets... Norbert got his nose stuck to it. Poor guy. Now he's got a sore spot on the tip of his nose.


Jacob our prized Boer buckling keeps hanging his ears in the water bucket. I am afraid I will go out there one day to find him with 1 short ear. I get it dried off quickly but hes doing it constantly. At 16°F its too dang cold to be washing your ears.


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## grandmajo (Oct 14, 2008)

MissMM said:


> Not funny, but still kinda.... I've had to remove the metal handle of the buckets... Norbert got his nose stuck to it. Poor guy. Now he's got a sore spot on the tip of his nose.


Oh my gosh, I just about fell off my chair! I had visions of that little kid on the movie "A Christmas Story", with his tongue stuck to the flag pole! :ROFL:


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## goatkid (Jan 17, 2009)

We've been having decent weather this week for being in Montana. The goats are loving it. Actually, once they get used to it, they are OK with colder weather so long as it's not real windy or snowing hard. Some will even sleep outdoors on a subzero night. I think adult goats are more tolerant of cold weather than the summer heat. It's the babies I worry about when it's cold. I don't breed my does to kid in January, but if any had kidded this week, they would have done great. As for me, I'm actually happier doing chores in cooler weather. It's the hot weather that's hard to work in.


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## ArcticGoats (Jun 9, 2008)

Oh man, not to beat this weather thing to death buttttttt....

gosh, oh man, its HOT here now!!! We hit 50 above yesterday!!! (that's 100 degree diff from last friday) - while last weeks cold was all part of a normal winter for us - this stuff is record setting! I saw on the news they closed schools cause of the cold in lower 48 - our schools never close for cold, just when it warms up to 20 below the kids get outside recess! But now, everything is so icy and warm - highways closed, sled dog races called off etc etc. 

But hey - the goaties are loving it! (its supposed to cool off the next day or so, so we'll enjoy it while we can!) :wahoo:


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## Amos (Oct 2, 2008)

Lucky! We only got up to 20 today..


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

It has been 30* here since 3am.....and ALOT of heavy snow! Still coming down too....I put a yard stick on my well head and it says 8".....looks like DH is taking me to work in the am!


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## BeeLady (Dec 12, 2008)

Well, its not my fault, but we're having 78 degrees, no wind, no clouds, and LOW humidity. The does were out sun bathing today, although they had to come onto the porch when they got too warm!

But, I do know that when its warm, humid and drizzly (raining) the goat shed begins to smell and I think its a much less healthy environment than the freezing weather. The worms and cocci reproduce really fast in our warm weather. I would love to get a freeze that lasted more than six hours before spring comes. The only thing that might slow the worms down now is the drought -- not even much dew in the mornings.

You folks in the bitter cold -- I think about you and your goats everytime I see a national weather forecast. My hat is off to you with the extra work the cold entails. I'll be wishing I was up north and at altitude when June and our 100 degree days start. 

We all have our goat crosses to bear -- these lucky goats with such good human caretakers!


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## Amy Goatress (Oct 2, 2008)

We "shrink wrap" all of our goat sheds to keep them warmer but the ones in the barn are fine since they have insulated places to go and buddies to snuggle up with.


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