Winter Storm Prep for 4-H Projects

 

As the storm warnings keep increasing time is now to make sure you are keeping your 4-H animal projects healthy. 

Follow these steps to help your 4-H projects perform their best this winter.

 

1. Make sure animals have plenty of fresh air.
Although it seems natural to close all the barn doors in the winter, similar to how you seal your house up tight, remember animals are different. To help keep them healthy and prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses, make sure you have adequate ventilation.

 

2. Water, water, water.
Whether providing water in a bucket, tank or automated system, it is important to check the water each day. If you are like many farms, you have probably experienced a frozen water tank or two. That is why it’s important to check the water supply every day: realizing the issue and reacting to it are essential in keeping animals healthy and on track for market or reproduction. No matter what the temperature, make sure the water you are providing your animals is clean and easily available in adequate amounts.

 

3. Know what is in your feed. 
Knowing the contents and the quality of the feed you are offering to animals is essential in making sure they have adequate nutrition to meet their energy requirements. Researchers at Oregon State University mention the “lowest critical environmental temperatures for livestock vary according to species and researchers, but 20 or 32 degrees Fahrenheit are often used as the lowest temperature dry livestock can tolerate without additional energy demands to support normal body temperature.” Paying attention to the amount of feed consumed as well as the temperature is important in keeping your animal on track.

 

4. Pay special attention to young and new animals.
Younger animals, especially newborn animals, are more susceptible to the cold weather. When new animals are born, make sure they are dried off in a reasonable amount of time. Additionally, remember how crucial it is for animals to receive their first milk, colostrum. If transporting new animals to your farm, make sure you minimize the amount of stress they will encounter as well as provide adequate dry, minimal dust bedding to help reduce the effect of winter chill.

5. Heat Lamp safety.

Animals just love to nibble on inappropriate things dangling into their stalls, and they could also get tangled up in cords and wires and drag the heat lamp down into flammable bedding. Tuck them up out of reach (and account for chickens flying up or goats standing on hind legs, and secure them. Use zip ties, string, duct tape – whatever you have to, to get them secured.

 

Lamps are often hung over a stall using either a rope or the clamp on the actual lamp, but whatever you choose to use to secure them, use something else too. For example, when I use the built in clamp, I also tie a rope or bungee to the actual lamp, careful not to touch it to the reflector, and tie it to a nail, beam, or the side of the pen. If one of the fastenings were to fail, the other would prevent it from falling into the pen.

 

Some heat lamps come with cages over the bulb to protect them to hopefully prevent the hot bulb from coming into contact with anything flammable should it fall. It’s not failsafe, as the reflector will also be hot, but it’s an extra arrow in your safety quiver.

Make sure that lamps are affixed a good distance away from the bedding in the stall, and any stored hay or bedding. All are super flammable.  In addition, make sure the lamps are not too close to the blankets.  In the past some projects have ended up with burns due to the lamp heating up the vinyl neck pieces and burning the projects. 

6. Check under the blankets

In any case, blankets and tubes should be checked at least every other day.  If not to check for fit and rub spots, at least double check that ring worm or burn spots are not occurring.