Tending Livestock in [Freezing] Winter

[tortoise]

Freezing temps make animal care chores more challenging. How do you manage?

 

[tortoise]

I have cold intolerance and touching metal or wet items below 60 degrees can be excruciating painful. This is my biggest challenge. I can't exert much force with my hands against cold temperatures because of pain in my skin. The intensity of pain perception is from the rate of change of skin temperature. This is normal, but between my thin skin and hyperreactive autonomic nervous system, I have more problem with it than most people do.

I installed big hook and eye latches on my chicken coop with rubber grip. They're large enough I can open them with mittens on and the rubber should help slow thermal transfer.

I use a heated waterer for chickens. I will put it in today. We have a (metal) frost free faucet near the chicken coop that is not hooked up this year. DS14 has been carrying water (uphill) from the barn. I might need to get into a daily habit of carrying less water at a time from the house. I can stay warm while waiting for a bucket to fill.

I use a heat lamp in the coop when temperatures are below zero.

 

[tortoise]

I dont know what I would do for livestock water without electricity!

 

[NH Homesteader]

Heated water bucket for sheep and LGD’s. I often lug water from the bath tub because the outside spigot freezes. The pigs… I break Ice and give them fresh water 3x/day. Hoping to have no pigs this winter, it’s not fun.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I dont know what I would do for livestock water without electricity!

I don't know what I would do in a freezing winter, lol. (except we had a hell of a freeze earlier this year)

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

Heated waterer for the chickens here. Only have them for now. I do not heat the coop at all, I don't want them dependent in case we lose power.

 

[Hinotori]

I only have the chicken to worry about. I use a bucket to haul water twice a day, but if I had issues I'd use gallon milk or water jugs. Water is in rubber bowls that I stomp ice out of.

Electricity isn't feasible to run out to all the pens. Only the large fowl one is within distance for a 100 ft cord. I did used to give them a heated dog bowl inside and the rubber bowls outside. They prefered to peck holes in the ice than use the heated bowl.

 

[Okiepan]

I just do it , But the cold weather sucks !!!
Wind , snow Ice etc We all do it because we love the life of farming and ranching
Earlier this year I was chopping ice at least 4-6" inches totally was not fun but after the task was completed and the livestock had there water I was smiling.

 

[Mini Horses]

Her in coastal VA we generally have cold with little snow or extreme cold for any great length of time. Jan and Feb is our coldest. So I have heated water tubs, buckets, etc. And use if it's going to be several days....unusual. They are expensive to run. But sometimes needed. More often, it's breaking frozen top water, adding hot to it. Length of cold and actual temps guide my handling. If all day low temps that prevent thawing, I treat different than ice in morning. Some years I fill a heated tub and dip from it...some I carry a few jugs of hot from house. I have water and electric in most barns and underground water lines, with spigots covered. I did buy one of those flex, lightweight hoses a few yrs back. Easier to carry in and out if snow, extreme cold, to use at outer spigots...taking inside to keep thawed. No matter, cold is difficult for us and animals for water!

 

[flowerbug]

can't you stack some hay bales to create a wind-break and another layer of insulation around a chicken coop to keep more of the heat in?

i'd think that for birds as long as they are dry and out of the wind they can pretty much cope with a lot more than we can.