# How much cold can goats tolerate??



## NigerianDwarfOwner707 (May 17, 2018)

So the nights recently have been in the 60s. But this week the night lows are around like 40 degrees. My goats have basically a 3 sided shelter/barn awning it's really big... well technically it is 2 sided but the third side is very long so it doesn't open up right to where they are fenced in. We also recently added a shed under the awning, it's about 4x6 inside. This is for 2 goats by the way. It has good ventilation (which also sacrifices a bit of warmth) but I can't shut them in there because it doesn't have a door. It does have an "L shape" area where they can be completely protected from wind and rain, etc. I haven't put bedding in there yet it's just like a plywood floor. I am hoping to add bedding soon, but I'm really just curious how much cold goats can tolerate with or without shelter, and with or without bedding. We have a horse barn that we could bring them into in severe weather, but that's not a super available option just for cold weather!!


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## bisonviewfarm (Apr 2, 2015)

Ours make it through -30 f without issue I try to cut down drafts but my barns nothing fancy. It doesnt have a door but I hang a heavy blanket over the doorway in the winter to cut down drafts. Were in the 20's at night now and I dont do anything special . They have pine shaving now when it starts getting to zero I add straw. And I always keep the hay feeders full I noticed they eat more at night when its a realy cold night. They usually cuddle up and make it through the cold with zero issues.


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

Agreed. If they can get out of the wind and precipitation, they're usually just fine. And they DO need more hay when it really cold. Firing up their rumen helps keep them warm. It's also nice to have a smaller space where they can huddle together and keep the heat in. It sounds like your shed may have that with the "L" area.

I did ok keeping a Nigerian buck in a small chicken house (Like a dog house with no door) all by himself. He never seemed cold, even when it was sub zero! Of course, he was even warmer when we let one of the does in to join him.


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## NigerianDwarfOwner707 (May 17, 2018)

They always have plenty of hay!! They don't even finish their feeder after one night so I always fill it past the top morning and evening so they always have as much hay as they want!! Thank you for all of your answers, this has definitely calmed by nerves and worries a bit by how your goats have all done so well with the cold!! I will definitely make sure they have some straw in their house to keep them warm if necessary though!!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

You can make a wall with boards, pallets and t-posts for the big 2-3 sided shelter.. 

Pound in T-posts as you setup the pallets, use screws to drill the board to cover the pallets, drill 4 holes in the flat sheet of wood, the pallet is on. 
2 low, 2 high, so you can wire the pallets to the T-posts.

If you need more to be blocked off higher in that area, you can put a blanket or tarp up there. You should keep ventilation somewhere. But you want to fix all drafts.

The small L area. 
I would put a small pallet with wood on it, in the L, so they have it more closed off, blocking wind, if it is going inside the L to them.


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## NigerianDwarfOwner707 (May 17, 2018)

UPDATE:

So we tried some straw in their shelter, last night. All they did was pee in it.

Now we have decided to leave their little shed how it is with a small sleeping shelf without bedding, and just prepare the horse barn stall for the goats to be brought into whenever necessary.


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## bisonviewfarm (Apr 2, 2015)

NigerianDwarfOwner707 said:


> UPDATE:
> 
> So we tried some straw in their shelter, last night. All they did was pee in it.
> 
> Now we have decided to leave their little shed how it is with a small sleeping shelf without bedding, and just prepare the horse barn stall for the goats to be brought into whenever necessary.


Pretty certain they all do that. Thats why we do a thick layer of pine shavings underneath it helps absorb the moisture


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

I put down shavings with straw on top in the winter. Stupid fools eat the shavings, and then dive into the straw as fast as I can put it down. And that is just after I have filled their hay racks.

Last winter, and a couple of winters previous, we had temps down to -40 and below. The goats did fine. They may have shivered a little, but that is just natures way of warming the body. I made sure they had hay by adding an extra feeding during the wee hours of the morning, so they would get 4 hay feedings a day when bitterly cold. The rest of the time they get hay 3 times a day. I also add soaked beet pulp and alfalfa pellets to their concentrates for extra moisture and fiber and balanced rice bran meal for extra calories as fat.


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## elvis&oliver (Jun 28, 2018)

This is my first winter with goats but I put PDZ first to help with smell and moisture 2 bags of shavings and 1 bale of straw. Temps have dropped here at night in the 30s and they are doing great so far. I move the straw and spot clean then cover it back up. Lots of hay to eat and keep warm and warm water right before bed. Is working great so far.


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## NigerianDwarfOwner707 (May 17, 2018)

lottsagoats1 said:


> I put down shavings with straw on top in the winter. Stupid fools eat the shavings, and then dive into the straw as fast as I can put it down. And that is just after I have filled their hay racks.
> 
> Last winter, and a couple of winters previous, we had temps down to -40 and below. The goats did fine. They may have shivered a little, but that is just natures way of warming the body. I made sure they had hay by adding an extra feeding during the wee hours of the morning, so they would get 4 hay feedings a day when bitterly cold. The rest of the time they get hay 3 times a day. I also add soaked beet pulp and alfalfa pellets to their concentrates for extra moisture and fiber and balanced rice bran meal for extra calories as fat.


So you don't use any bedding? My goats eat shavings too!


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## NigerianDwarfOwner707 (May 17, 2018)

bisonviewfarm said:


> Pretty certain they all do that. Thats why we do a thick layer of pine shavings underneath it helps absorb the moisture


Yeah but mine don't usually, they are litter box trained to pee. They won't sleep anywhere that they pee and the shed basically became their designated pee spot.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

All goats will pee on their bedding, it is just what they do. 

They will still need bedding to help them stay warm.

I know they may eat the straw, but I have never seen mine eat the shavings.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Yep, goats will definitely pee in bedding. In fact, ours prefer to pee in the bedding vs. anywhere else lol.
We always use hay for bedding as we don't have a place to store straw, so we feed/bed with round bales of hay that we've used for years.
The goats should be able to handle the weather just fine as long as they are able to get out of the wind/rain and avoid cold drafts. 
Last weekend we were in the mid 80s with heat index in the 90s. Midweek, we had a cold front go through, and the last 4 days we've barely made it into the 50s-60s for highs. Ours have done fine, they like to lay in the doorway even at night. They fluff up their hair when it's cold. 
We eventually get down to single digits in the winter months at times, but generally highs in the 30-40 and lows in the 10-30s. Extra bedding, plenty of hay to eat, warm, fresh water and able to get out of the wind and they are fine.
Something we do in the coldest part of the winter...
We let the bedding pile up and clean out about 1x a week that away that bottom, wet layer that holds in heat helps insulate the top/dry/clean layers. It's a pain to clean out, and stinky job (yuck!) but truly works!


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## NigerianDwarfOwner707 (May 17, 2018)

toth boer goats said:


> All goats will pee on their bedding, it is just what they do.
> 
> They will still need bedding to help them stay warm.
> 
> I know they may eat the straw, but I have never seen mine eat the shavings.


If they pee in their bedding, they won't sleep in it. It's just how mine are. So I'm gonna keep their shed how it is, bedding free with their sleeping shelf, and start getting them ready to come inside to a stall with all of the warm bedding their hearts desire!


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