Shelter and Food on the Farm

Last week someone asked if 'farm stays warm for the animals?'

The animals have shelter in the barn. They are out of the wind, rain, and snow. I wouldn't be warm in the barn, but the animals are!

They have winter coats, and their bodies are different than ours are. They have a different stomach than we do. Their stomach produces heat when they are digesting (breaking down) their food. It's so interesting how we are different from animals!

As long as our animals have a place to get out of the wind, rain, and snow, and they have plenty to eat and drink, they stay warm. 

Our barn is just right for our animals.
It provides shelter to keep them warm and dry.

Do you see the little dog house inside the goat's stall?
The baby goats sleep inside so they stay very warm.

I lock the goats inside the stall at night when we have goat kids that are less than 1 month old. Kids are funny and run around. But I don't want them to run around outside at night when it's cold. They aren't old enough for that quite yet on my farm. I think my goats are spoiled, but that's ok. They grow into big beautiful goats and I like that!

Tia and Mia, the baby goats, are the first ones to get fed in the morning. They are so hungry!

The baby goats love to run and play outside, just like children do! They have recess all day, unless they want a nap inside the little dog house.

Baby goats are called kids.
They are so funny and jump on all sorts of things.

They follow me around where ever I go.
They love to jump into the chicken coop as soon as the chickens come out in the morning.

Sometimes kids do silly things.
Tia got stuck on the wagon one day.
Good thing I was right there to get her unstuck!
Do you ever do silly things like that?

We have sweaters on our baby goats for about 2 weeks. When they are about 2 weeks old they are a little smarter and make sure they stay close to their mom, and know how to find their way back to the little dog house for a nap.



My grandsons are home from school. They spent a day with me this week while their mom and dad went to work. They love the baby goats!

No, baby goats don't bite noses. They are babies, and like all babies, they put everything in their mouth to help them figure out more about it.

This is what the chickens sleep in at night.
It's out of the wind, rain, and snow.
They stay very warm inside all night long!

Sometimes a few of the older hens stay inside for a few hours instead of going outside. The sun has been out the last few days, so once I open the door, they all come running out.

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Everyone is storing a little bit of extra food just in case we are asked to stay home. We have a little bit of extra food at home, too!

We were running low on food for the animals because it's the end of winter. Most farmers have enough to last their animals through the winter and into early spring when the pastures start to grow. They usually have enough to last through June when the hay is cut the first time.

Farmers and ranchers are always thinking about what needs to be done now, and next week, and 6 months from now, and next year. We always have to plan ahead.

One of the wonderful things about our neighbors is that they know we have chickens, goats, and cows. We have turkeys and ducks and a sheep, too!

They know that when food isn't good enough for people, it is often still good for animals. Instead of throwing the food into the dump, they bring it to us.

That is a lot of old food storage that our animals will eat! They think it's treats. Shhhhh..... don't tell them it isn't.

Do you know what the goats favorite treats are? Old noodles! They love the way they crunch in their mouth when they are eating them!

The chickens love old wheat!

We also stocked up on hay cubes and hay pellets for the animals since we are starting to run a little low on hay.

Look at those big bags! We had to unload them with the tractor!

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Are you getting ready to plant a garden? Watching something grow can be a lot of fun! Here's a post a did about 8 years ago on growing plants in soda bottles. You might think that's a fun and interesting thing to do right now. 

Sub-irrigation Planters from Soda Bottles

Are you working on writing while you're at home, too? You might like to write an essay and enter it into Provo's America's Freedom Festival. They have prizes!

If you're interested, you can find more information at this link.

Also note that the deadlines for both the essay and art contests have been extended until may 18, 2020. You still have plenty of time to work on them!

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Thanks so much for the comments and question last week!

I love your questions. It helps me to know what things you want to learn about on the farm!

Make it the best week you can!