A Few Tips for Keeping your Animals Happy this Winter

 It's another blistering cold day in Wisconsin.  The temperature outside is -2 degrees and the alpacas are loving it!  Not sure about everyone else though.   I can tell by looking out the window they are standing next to the metal "barn" to stay warm.  Thankfully, the sun is shining and heating up the metal.

When it gets this cold there are a few things I do to keep them happy.  Number one, I bring out a pail or really really warm drinking water.  The goats, chickens, and ducks absolutely love it.  For the goats in particular, this is a treat.  The will drink it down so fast.  Number two, I provide shelter from the wind.  All the animals can go in and out as they please.  All my animals will do fine, as long as they are dry and out of the wind.  Number three, feed them at night when it is the coldest.  Goats, cows, and alpacas all have rumens and they will eat to keep themselves warm.  The temperatures at night are the coldest, so it only makes sense to feed them at night.  Last, but not least, make sure you have plenty of water.  I don't know about you, but it seems like my animals drink a lot more in the winter.  And to make your life a lot easier, use a tank heater.  If you don't have electricity in your barn, see about finding a few extention cords or find a solar tank heater.  Make sure you read the information on the tank heater box before you buy it.  You want to make sure you get a heater that can handle your size tank.

As I was researching some things to do to help my animals in the cold months, I ran across an article on the farmandranchguide.com.  The article mainly discusses cattle, but goats, alpacas, and other ruminate animals can benefit from this information.

It's Winter and My Chickens are Still Laying

Before our baby chicks arrived, I read lots of articles and books about chickens.  Everything I read says that we need to provide extra light and warmth for our chickens to continue laying during the winter.  So far this winter, I have not added extra light or heat, but they are well fed.  One of the major reasons I don't provide extra heat is because with the added threat of a fire, I can't sleep at night.  We have a lot of hay in our pole-barn which scares me.  A few weeks ago we had some baby goats, and yes, I did put out some heat lamps for them. but I couldn't sleep at night.  Every few hours I would get up and look out the window to make sure nothing was on fire.

We have 14 chickens and 2 female ducks laying eggs.  During the summer months I was getting around 9 to 10 eggs a day, now I am getting around 5 to 6.  Yes, I am getting less, but at least they are still laying.  There were a few nights with temperatures around -15 to -20 degrees and I still got eggs.  Personally, I think it's because they are getting high-quality food and they are free-range.  My chickens are able to go out with the goats and other animals and eat anything they have left.  We also feed them meal worm treats and kitchen scraps daily.  Yep, our chickens are spoiled.

Is there anyone else out there with chickens living in a cold climate like Wisconsin?  Are your chickens still laying eggs?

Welcome to Alex Acres

Hello everyone!  After moving into a home on a small hobby farm in rural Wisconsin for a year and a half, I thought I would start a blog.  We currently have 14 chickens, three ducks, two alpacas, three cows, 11 goats- five of our goats are brand new babies, four cats, and a dog.  Only about 3 weeks old.  This blog is about life on our farm, raising these wonderful animals.

Let me introduce you to a few of our fun and furry family:

 We are so lucky to have happy chickens that are still laying eggs despite the cold Wisconsin temperatures and no additional light in the coop.  They are free-range chickens and can go outside whenever and wherever they want.  We have a coop they automatically go in at night and an automatic door that opens and closes automatically each morning and night.

 These furry animals are our alpacas.  The darker one is Independence (He was born on July 4th of last year- so he is one and a half years old).  The lighter colored one is Tino.  Tino got his name because he used to be named Tina.  When we bought him we were told he was a girl, well, we never looked ourselves so after a few months we realized Tina was a Tino.  Tino and Independence are loving this cold weather!  Come spring we will have to start thinking about giving them a haircut.  Last year we had someone come and trim them for us.  We might just try to do it ourselves this year.

This is our sweet girl, Mona.  She was raised on another farm and was given to us by one of Keith's (my husband) co-workers.  Her biological mom rejected her so she was raised by a human mom which is why she is such a sweet girl.  She had some joint infections as a baby so her legs are shorter than they should be.  She is half angus and half holstein.

Here are some of the most friendliest goats you will ever meet.  Milkshake is in the back and Willy is in the front.  I had a little fun this last election season, and had Milkshake running for president with Willy as his running mate.  With politics as polarizing as it is, I thought I would make things a little fun.  Milkshake is looking to run again in 2020 so stay tuned.