I’m sure we all have a list of lessons learned from caring for livestock through the winter. Here’s mine.
1. Insulated Carhartt overalls rock!
Kidding in February for my research project would have been so miserable without them.
2. Empty your pockets at the door.
Those freezing temps seemed to slow my brain and I had to make this rule after putting my cell phone through the wash cycle with all my kidding clothes.
3. Frost-free faucets are a miracle.
But if you have to use a hose to reach the water trough, never skimp on draining it after use. Otherwise you’ll be hauling water in buckets until it thaws. And that hose – make it as short as possible so you won’t be tempted by fatigue or busy-ness to skimp on draining it.
4. Some kind of heat source or mechanism to keep water from freezing is worth it’s weight in gold.
Chopping ice is no fun and frozen troughs can be delicate things. But just because something is supposed to prevent freezing, doesn’t mean it always will. My goats showed me that their ball waterer had frozen by running from me to the waterer over and over until I got a clue and fixed it for them. After that I checked it religiously.
5. Hugging a well-fed, well-watered goat can make you forget the cold.
Ok – I know you’re not all into hugging your livestock, but I’m sure there’s something that you do with them that makes you forget the cold and smile. So do that, or find that thing and the winter won’t seem quite as long.
Thanks for reading!
Kathy
P.S. Thanks to all who re-homed books from my library. They went so fast!
Here’s a list of what’s left. I’ll be doing more book rehoming in the future. So stand by!
