Just Need a few Questions Answered

[misfitmorgan]

Now, the Floridian on cold winter weather... You northerners can scoff.

Our show goats are usually clipped in the winter, since our show season is Nov-March with our two biggest shows in January and Feb. Now, we don't clip them as close as many do, but they don't have their natural long hair for sure. They have three sided shelters with a half wall across the open side and we will put a tarp up if it's windy, rainy, and getting below 35' or so. Some also have big dogloos and I've seen 3 70# doelings all pile into one together. our three bucks (not clipped) cuddle too. They are dry and bedded with shavings or straw in cold weather. I will put a coat on a clipped goat *if* they are shivering, but that only happened once last year with a thinner clipped goat.

I've used a heat lamp for two nights (off during the day) for a clipped Nigerian that had triplets when the weather was the coldest in years at 28-30' at night and very windy. I kept it 3' from the ground, so it wasn't even close to them, just enough to keep the doe from shivering- because she was after the birth.

Our babies cuddle together at night (we pull babies at night to milk in the AM after 2 weeks) and do just fine with a small dog house or bin to snuggle in and come out and play at down in the cold weather as happy as can be.

As long as they are healthy and have a dry bedded area out of the wind they should be fine. Throw in some extra hay for munching and they will be happy! Ours get frisky and playful with eh temperature drops.

We give heat to kids, sick goats, very thin goats etc. But we would never heat thick coated plump goats who are showing no signs of becoming hypothermic.