# Do goats get cold?



## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

It seems silly being in NC but my goats are shaking. Should I put a heater in their area? Sweaters? I can't stand to think of them freezing.


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

It's not silly at all....
If you get cold so do they...
Goats keep themselves warm by ruminating their feeds.....
Well fed goats aren't going to freeze to death...
But being uncomfortably cold is possible..do they have adequate shelter?


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## KimM (Jun 17, 2005)

Keep them dry and out of wind, give lots of extra hay, extra straw bedding, offer some warm water. See how they do with that first.
My buck has paced all his fat off and is on the thin side in spite of all the hay he can eat and twice normal feed (and extra A/C). He was shivering this morning and it's suppose to get really cold the next several nights sooo, I will probably need to put a coat on him while the temps are in the teens.


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

A heater would be dangerous and, in fact, I recall some goats being burned to death last year from a space heater. They will knock it over. 

As mentioned above, plenty of good hay, and a dry place out of the wind will do the trick. Remember water is also important for animals in the winter. They LOVE hot water and it will warm them up too.


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## The Tin Mom (Dec 30, 2008)

suzyhomemaker09 said:


> It's not silly at all....
> If you get cold so do they...
> Goats keep themselves warm by ruminating their feeds.....
> Well fed goats aren't going to freeze to death...
> But being uncomfortably cold is possible..do they have adequate shelter?


Yeah. It has been really cold here the last couple of days & this morning when I walked out to feed them, they were all chewing in unison. It was funny to watch 11 goats burp & chew chew chew... burp & chew chew chew....

I have also noticed their hay intake has doubled (give or take).


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## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

Wow. I'm doing this ALL wrong! I had no idea they liked warm water. And I thought grain was bad for them if they ate too much and that they could eat all the leaves that fell of that tree. I know what I'll be doing tomorrow-starting with warming some water. 

Thanks!


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## Oat Bucket Farm (Jul 28, 2006)

My herd queen refuses to eat her grain on real cold mornings unless she can have a drink of warm water first. She has to have her warm water.


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## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

Okay-just took out warm water. They didn't want it. What's up with those crazy goats? 

And their bellies are *huge*. They must be cold; I've never seen them so big around before. I put out extra baking soda-could this be dangerous? What should I look for to make sure they are okay?


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## Laverne (May 25, 2008)

You mentioned all of those leaves that fell off a tree. Did you rake a pile of leaves for them to eat? Do they have grass hay to eat?


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

There are certain leaves that it's absolutely ok for them to eat..others not so much..when pickings get slim in the winter goats will eat what is there...not so much in warmer weather.
Cherry leaves are one that springs to mind that shouldn't be raked up and fed. I don't have many trees on my place...there is one sweetgum tree...you should see them race to get the last few leaves from it.
They might just have not been thirsty at that moment...but then not all will like warm water...I can't see extra baking soda being a bad thing either..they eat it as needed.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Mine don't go for warm water but I offer it anyway when it gets really cold just in case they want it. I don't feed grain (mine are pets) just BOSS and I don't increase that when it gets cold. The only thing different I do when it gets cold is add extra bedding. They always have more than enough grass hay to eat. The grass hay is what keeps their rumen (furnace) going good for the cold. Right now it's 5 degrees which is "nice" for here


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## secretcreek (Jan 24, 2010)

PrettyPaisley said:


> Okay-just took out warm water. They didn't want it. What's up with those crazy goats?
> 
> And their bellies are *huge*. They must be cold; I've never seen them so big around before. I put out extra baking soda-could this be dangerous? What should I look for to make sure they are okay?


Free choice baking soda never hurts. Offer plenty of grassy-weedy hay for your hay burners in this cold weather. A dry stall with bedding to nest in is essential. Can the goats huddle together behind at least a windbreak? They can fluff out their coats that make them look bigger- but are your goats bloated-as in distended -tight as a drum bellies- that are painful? Are they grinding their teeth- or pressing their heads into a corner or wall? Are they able to walk steady-no falling over or circling, right?

Remember that they have been outside so warm water will feel warmer to them than to you- it might seem different, keep pushing water though- even if you need to put a little gatorade or koolaid in the water... *IF* they like those-check first, or they may not touch the water at all-that's a change so be cautious too. Goats that are not producing milk need at least a gallon a day-each, offered to them... does in production need much more...and they don't seem to drink much overnight-well, mine don't.

Consistant feedings to reduce stresses from weather are helpful. Don't want to make big changes when other changes are going on also. That and other stresses add up ( others such as a worm load from not being wormed enough-stress causes a parasite burst internally)...that and weather fluctuations, and big changes to their rumen is a disaster recipe for goat polio(thiamine deficiency...and it's almost impossible to reverse, you can but it's really hard...ask me how I know this). 

Spend some time observing your goats while you are down to the barn. Do you hear rumen noises- burps- see if the goats are cudding once you feed and water. Do you see where they nested- is it dry there- one goat guru used to say kneel down where your goats lay-your knees should be dry. Is there a strong ammonia smell at bed level? ALL good things to check on. 

Enjoy your critters!
-scrt crk
*I'm going to offer some bark that my goats love to increase the roughage level a bit.*


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

If they aren't drinking the warm water, they probably aren't that cold and have been drinking their regular water. 

Grain is fine in measured amounts. You just don't want to give them too much too fast- of anything. Most leaves are very good for goats, that's the main thing they are designed to live on.


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## GrannyG (Mar 26, 2005)

I have gone out on a cold bitter night to the barn, the goats looked cold to me, so I covered them up with an old comforter....LOL....there is just that certain love when you get a cold goat kiss...and smell their warm breath on your face....


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## secretcreek (Jan 24, 2010)

I went down to the barn about 4pm to do evening chores. My two 6 yr old goats- a dry doe and a wether both were cold and seemed kind of dehydrated/stressed. They've had fresh water ( wonder if the dog/cat got into it again- they won't drink after another animal not a goat??? That's got me real concerned. They both drank and ate a little grain ration, some baking soda(bi-carb), and picked at their hay for the stemmy woody stuff, the def did not want the grass. I went and grabbed some wild rose branches for them to chew and they went nuts for that roughage. My wether concerns me as he acted like he didn't see that well...He wasn't staggery- I heard good rumen sounds, he drank warm water well ( I threw in some graham crackers he was trying to steal out of my pocket and he gulped down the warm water. I know he's not drank enough in a couple of days so I kept encouraging him to drink drink drink. He peed and pood and it was normal- not a whole lot of pee but not a dribble either. 

It's going to be brutal here again and I am worried about stress/ cold..MAN!!!
Think I will go back out with help and give a injection of Vit B complex to encourage them both to eat more..to make heat tonight.


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## HappyFarmer (Jun 17, 2006)

We're quite a bit colder than you and our herd is acclimated to the cold. 

We make sure they have plenty of hay and they have cold water from the pond. They drink it no issues. The large bellies you are seeing are probably just hay bellies. I love to see hay bellies during winter as I know they will be nice and warm. We offer grains too, but the hay and water is the most important. 

If you have a small enclosure where they can all fit inside it can help conserve body heat, add straw or hay to lay on and they should be nice and toasty.

HF


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## BethW (May 3, 2007)

I make sure my animals have plenty of hay to ear and lots of straw bedding to snuggle in. A windbreak is a minimal requirement; I wouldn't consider having goats without an enclosed barn. 

If it helps, my goats wouldn't touch warm water the first two years. Then one day they just decided they liked it. And now I have to hold their heads out of the bucket until I'm finished pouring in their warm water. Silly goats

I use the Goat-O-Meter to gauge outdoor temps and their comfort:
Tails are up: not bad
Tails clamped down, but no hair standing on end: getting colder
Tail down, hair standing on end so they look like puffballs: really cold

I've never seen them shiver, though.


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