How farmers help animals in colder temperatures

We are expecting single digit lows to begin next week, it’s going to be one of the longest stretches we’ve seen this season of bitter cold temperatures, and farmers are taking note.

Rebecca Miller, owner of Miller's Goats and Gardens makes sure her animals have dry warm bedding, hay, fresh water, and the choice whether they are inside or outside in the cold weather. But it isn’t just staying inside that keeps the herd warm.

"They have hay, the ruffage actually helps them stay warm because, by eating that ruffage the bacteria in their guts are working which actually heats their whole body up...All of them have each other too so there’s a lot of body heat that they have joined together.”

But it isn't just the cold that farmers are worried about, it’s weeks like these, with massive swings in temperatures, from the upper 30s to the single digits in just three days.

“That’s harder on them because they don’t have a chance for their bodies to adjust to the change of temperature.”

Miller has plenty of precautions in place even before the colder season starts to make sure her animals are comfortable.