In case you haven't seen the forecast, temperatures are supposed to dip into the negative single digits with wind chills -15 to -25. Brrrr, it's cold out there.
We've been asked how our pigs stay warm, so why not write a blog about it.
All of our pigs have shelter. For the youngest ones, they are free to go in and out of the barn. The sows who are expecting or have babies are currently in large stalls in the barn and the the smallest babies also have access to a heat lamp but often prefer to sleep snuggled up to mama.
As for the big ones, we have put hay on two sides of the shelters to block the wind and they also use that hay to build nests. The pigs also like to sleep in piles for warmth.
Our outdoor waterers have have stock tank heaters in them to keep the water from freezing and the drinking nozzles have a drip to them which helps but they still get checked twice a day and thawed if needed. While they have hay to eat with a grain supplement, on these really cold days we increase the grain supplement to give more calories to help them stay warm.
The pigs get around fine in the snow and it is fun to see where their tracks do or don't go in the paddock.
As for life on the farm, we bundled up the little boys this morning to get them out and burn some of that toddler energy. Will, our 3 year old, had fun shoveling the front yard and driving his dump truck across the yard like the plow trucks.
Keegan, our 20 month old, got cold much sooner and was a bigger fan of the hot chocolate after our adventure.
We've been asked how our pigs stay warm, so why not write a blog about it.
All of our pigs have shelter. For the youngest ones, they are free to go in and out of the barn. The sows who are expecting or have babies are currently in large stalls in the barn and the the smallest babies also have access to a heat lamp but often prefer to sleep snuggled up to mama.
As for the big ones, we have put hay on two sides of the shelters to block the wind and they also use that hay to build nests. The pigs also like to sleep in piles for warmth.
Our outdoor waterers have have stock tank heaters in them to keep the water from freezing and the drinking nozzles have a drip to them which helps but they still get checked twice a day and thawed if needed. While they have hay to eat with a grain supplement, on these really cold days we increase the grain supplement to give more calories to help them stay warm.
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| Pigs wanting attention. 'Pet me, pet me! Where is my food?" |
As for life on the farm, we bundled up the little boys this morning to get them out and burn some of that toddler energy. Will, our 3 year old, had fun shoveling the front yard and driving his dump truck across the yard like the plow trucks.
Keegan, our 20 month old, got cold much sooner and was a bigger fan of the hot chocolate after our adventure.
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