James Oller, RVT
Artesian Valley
jefarms.com
Winter time can be a hectic
environment for both
beast and man around the
farm. Some parts of our
country experience winter
months quite a bit
differently from others.
No matter where you live,
at some point you have to
deal with the cold if you
have critters in your care.
Though some individuals
in our goat herd are very
intelligent, I still can’t get them trained to divvy out rations and water.
As I sit pondering this article, it is currently the coldest day of the year, here. A grand ONE degree
for temperature and -14 wind chill this fine morning! I think back to my childhood and the training
I received from family in regards to taking care of animals outdoors during freezing temperatures.
“Feed them more corn,” I was told. “It really heats up the animal.” So I muddled through the
childhood years and early adulthood thinking extra grain on a cold night would do the trick. After
some time in the Ag School at Morehead State University, did I learn that in fact grain was an energy
source and very quick one. You see, grains digest rather quickly and, yes, do produce some heat in
our livestock.
But a much better natural body heat source is good quality, long-stem forage or hay. It takes longer
to digest and produces much better body heat values over a longer time period. Good quality is the
key here. If you’ve had goats very long at all, you should now know that they tend to be rather
finicky partakers of forage. I have gotten very accustomed to requesting horse quality hay and
keeping the fact that it is fed to goats a secret in the times I have to shop for local hay sources.
Typically, folks still have the misconception that goats eat tin cans and clothes from the line, or
anything else they can scavenge. Hay is a very important part of the diet for our small ruminants
and quality is a must.
I like a sweet smell to our grass hay and one that is cut without the addition of large stems and
overripe grasses. Very soft and supple with a green tint left in the hay is ideal. Hay that was gotten
12 DWARF and MINI
Photo credit Darian Denman , Rolling Meadows Orchard & Farm
BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES:
Winter Feeding Strategies