1 degree & eating the Christmas #Video

183 Views

Thanks! Share it with your friends!

You disliked this video. Thanks for the feedback!

Video Description:

Welcome to day 5 of Love Notes from the Goats! Today was a cold one in Maine! Ace is the goat of the day!

When we woke up this morning, it was actually 1° . If it’s going to be that cold, I like to be breaking records, so I was pleased to see on the news that it was the coldest morning this early in the season in 49 years! Hopefully it is not a sign of the type of winter we are going to have. But everyone did a great job making it through the day!

I’m always a little nervous going out to the barn on super cold winter days for fear of what I’ll find, but knock on wood, we have never had a problem with a sick goat due to cold temperatures. They are pretty hardy creatures. That said, older and very young goats might need more attention. If a goat is not feeling well, she might not come out for grain, turn towards a corner in a stall or refuse to get up.

The first thing every vet will want to know if you call about a sick member of your herd is what’s their temp! Goats normal temperature is 103. If it’s much higher than 104, it can indicate an infection and it’s good to consult a veterinarian and consider antibiotic. if it’s lower than 101, it’s often even more dire in my experience as it can mean the goat’s body is shutting down and quick action is needed. An old farmer’s trick is to give them hot coffee and molasses in a syringe. It’s not a bad start if a goat is looking off and you are waiting to hear from a vet.

To keep everybody feeling well in the winter, we make sure they all have hot water at least twice a day, plenty of hay, some grain, minerals, opportunities to get out in the sunshine, and we keep them out of any wet cold draft.
---