Well it did snow!! Meteorologist forcasted 10-12 inches of snow; however we receivd the most accumilation in all of Asheville area. Here is how we prepared the farm: 

1. Pine bedding and extra hay in stalls for the goats. **FUN FACT** Since goats are small ruminents, they can warm themselves by eating hay.

2. Chickens were moved to a less windy area and their chicken tractor was secured so it wouldn’t move with strong wind.

​CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK: Most of the animals are winter hardy and can handle snow. To be honest, neither the chickens or goats came out of their shelters until a few days after the snow. We spoiled them by feeding them inside! Our farm did well in the snow, we are just working towards a better hay storage solution. Right now it’s stored under our back porch and mice like to live there( yuck) and we have to stoop to get hay in and out. Alfalfa bales weigh 90-100 lbs so it’s quite difficult. UP NEXTWe have our first goat kid scheduled to be on the ground February 18th so we are in full preparation mode getting supplies and kidding stalls set up. Goats do best when supported during delivery. Can they deliver without anyone present? Absolutely! However, goats are susceptible to parasites, during labor and delivery the increase in stress causes the periparturient egg count to rise or “bloom” which increases the load the goat is carrying. That increase then lands on the ground where the kids are growing and they pick them up. It could escalate quickly and make for some sick goats.​One way we try to manage parasites( they are never all the way gone, we just need a healthy load for the goats to manage) is by kidding during colder months. This decreases the parasite’s life span which helps the goats. One challenge cold weather kidding brings is if the goats don’t get dried and cleaned off quickly they could die of hypothermia( preventable) or have frostbitten ears( also preventable). The Dam’s( female goat) do a great job of this, but Nigerian Dwarf goats are known to kid multiples. It can be hard to get three kids out and dried off in very cold conditions.