Goats have beards. Some have bigger beards than others.
But, in the winter, the goats drink, their beards get wet, and freeze. A bit of a Fu Man Chu look.
It was 6 degrees F this morning (that -14 C!) and icicle beards just made everything seem that much colder. So, I trimmed them. Not the best job. You try cutting a goat’s beard with scissors. They don’t exactly stand still for it. But, the boys aren’t vain and didn’t complain. I think they’ll be happier not having chins dripping with ice. Caper looks kind of cute, doesn’t he? I’ve always liked my men clean-shaven.
Your goats sure are cute! I guess not much is going on with your chickens. We’ve had rain, rain and more rain. Will my girls ever learn to how find shelter to get out of it? One is molting and I worry she will get chilled.
How is old Petunia doing? Our pets are so loved. Thank you for sharing yours. Your cams and blog help to get me through my work day unitl I can get home to mine. Don’t tell my boss!
Caper looks like a bunny with his fluffy winter coat.
Kind of liked that Fu Man Chu thing.. you could have strung a few beads on it for the “Jack Sparrow” look.
They are so cute!! Makes me want to reach out and hug them!
That’s the best picture of Caper I’ve seen. Guess I am just a Golson goat groupie! Interesting conversation about the first cut hay. Nothing is as simple as it seems.
Lauren, oh, they would look cute with their beards strung with beads. They already have the devil-may-care swashbuckling personality (get it, buck?) But, I’d like to meet the goat who’d put up with having his beard pulled and fussed with!
6 degrees, BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. We will have a low Monday morning of 9 degrees. Can’t wait, nothing like frozen water to bust up for the chickens…not for long though. Mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I said I know just the thing. Go to jefferslivestock.com they have an chicken fount that’s heated that I want. Yes, I got the “you want what”? ;-)
Have you seen the heated hose??? Luxury!
Greetings from the sunshine state where it is a lovely 71 degrees right now. I was wondering if the animals can take it sooooo cold ? I prefer my guys clean shaven too, and when the beards are frozen they look like dreads ! How stylish !
Georgene- the only one who suffers is little dog Scooter. He shivers and wishes we would make him a fire everyday.
Terry, and where can I find one of these heated hoses? That may go on the birthday list.
Terry one question as well as it relates to cold. How do you venilate your coops without making them too drafty?
I installed two vents at either end of my coops a few years back and I think they are too big, I struggle with just enough opening.
Ken- I’ve never used one of those heated hoses – there’s no way we can hook it up in the basement and have it go all the way to the barns. Search on Amazon. Reviews are mixed. But, I’ve been thinking that I should get a rain barrel, and set it up in the barn with a water bucket heater. I could use it as a water reservoir and scoop out buckets for the goats and fill the chicken’s fonts. What do you think?
Vents are tricky. I think that the louvered ones are best, you get air without the drafts. This summer we had a cupola installed on the hencam coop’s roof. It cooled the barn down by at least 10 degrees. So far this winter, the barn seems just as cozy, but not as damp. I’ll let you know as the winter progresses. So far, so good. My big barn is airy, yet no drafts. Love it. We’ll have chicks in their this spring, though, and will have to construct a brooder for the early weeks.
What are these heated hoses? I have a heater base that goes under the chicken fount. Anything heat is fine by me in the winter. I’m with Scooter. And I’m looking for a great wool sweater (for myself!) if anyone has any recommendations.
Ken: Ventilation is tricky here, too. We have a garage coop which really helps, but with the chicken door and the combination of car and human doors, the drafts can be serious. Serious enough that when we get a north wind and leave the correct combo of doors open, I might find dead chickens. (Ditto in summer for closed doors). In my opinion it’s always best to have a sort of buffer around your vent areas so that air can move, but not wind. Does that make sense? I’ve also heard of people that place the roosts up closer to the ceiling for warmth…I imagine a false ceiling could be placed above the roosts to contain body heat, but have the ventilation going out over the top of that. Just some ideas and I hope they help.
Jenny – I’ve got that heated base, too. But, we have to haul water out from the house. Not fun when it’s below freezing and you spill a waterer down your pants!
I really don’t worry about my hens being cold – it’s damp added to cold that is the worst. You don’t want to contain the heat, or you also contain the damp. Just respiration gives off a lot of moisture. I’m careful about keeping the coops clean. The drafts are deadly, too. Sounds like you have a challenging set-up. A buffer sounds like a good idea. What about burlap curtains?
I admire how you always have your animals comfort in mind.
Thanks, Susan.
Terry, I think the rain barrel idea with the heater is an excellant one. It was 4 degrees here this morning and had to haul water out this morning in a 5 gallon bucket.
I laughed out loud with the water down the pants leg quote, I’ve done that so many times it isn’t even funny.