3 minute read
Farm life
October
ON THE SMALLHOLDING
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By Tamsin Cooper
Tamsin Cooper is a smallholder and writer with a keen interest in animal behaviour and welfare
www.goatwriter.com
THIS IS A GOOD MONTH TO GET READY FOR WINTER, ENSURING ANIMALS HAVE THE FOOD AND SHELTER THEY WILL NEED.
All farm animals need protection from the elements, especially from wind and damp. Now is a good time to check for leaking roofs and draughts. Bedding must stay dry during winter months, as moisture encourages respiratory disease and hoof disorders. Chickens are generally cold-hardy, but they need a dry sheltered spot to maintain their body heat and avoid frostbite. An airy hut or barn with a perch serves them well. The roof needs to be rainproof to avoid humidity building up inside. Humid air would condense on chicken combs which could freeze when temperatures drop, especially single combs. Vented space above the chickens’ heads allows air to circulate without causing draughts. Goats also need dry but well-ventilated shelters. Goat hooves are adapted to dry, rocky terrain, so they suffer from infections if they are unable to let their feet dry out daily. Bedding needs to stay dry whatever the weather. Although sheep are much hardier to damp, they appreciate an open shelter where they can huddle together in the worst weather. Sheep tolerate closeness far better than goats and do not mind sheltering in close proximity. Goats and some chickens need their personal space, and dominant members may drive weaker animals out. For goats, partitions can be added to allow hiding space, and for chickens, extra perches. It is also good to check fences regularly, to make sure there are no weaknesses that might give way when animals push against them.
Winter is always the toughest time for keeping animals fed and healthy. You might want to think about selling any excess animals now, so that you have enough shelter and supplies to keep the remaining herds in optimum health. Water butts can help you to collect drinking water for animals, and these might need cleaning out after the summer so that stored water stays clean. If you want to breed sheep or goats, now is a good time to introduce the male, so that offspring are born in spring (five months gestation). Next month will be a good time to breed pigs, as they gestate for just under four months. If you have just a few animals and you have got used to recognizing signs of oestrus, you may want to take your females to visit the males while they are on heat. I found this easy to do with goats, as they are demonstrative on heat and unconcerned by a temporary separation from the herd, as long as they are accompanied by their keeper. Sheep are more reluctant to leave the herd, so you may want to borrow a ram to service them, which is also more convenient for a larger herd of goats. Hens may also consider brooding, but it is best to dissuade them at this time, as young chicks are vulnerable to cold and damp. I dissuade my hens by keeping them in an empty concrete rabbit hutch (clapier) or run for 2–3 days. As it has nowhere to nest, the hormones that prompt broodiness switch off after a few days. Hens that have feather damage usually moult at this time in preparation for colder months. Not all hens moult every year and some moult more than others. Generally, it is better not to give them jumpers, as these can damage new feather growth. Unfortunately, some hens moult late and get caught quite naked by cold weather. They generally get by if they have access to shelter, straw-lined nests, and can huddle up with the flock.
