foul weather: how one farm prepares
This from an experienced farm family in TN:
Not sure what the weather was up there but we got nailed with -25 degree weather with the wind chill here in East Tennessee for about 5 days with spotty power. Now growing up in rural Western Massachusetts left me very prepared fo the weather which those skills were indeed needed! Since we were without power for about 24 hours during the coldest portion of the storm I camped my entire family in our living room with the wood stove to keep everyone warm.
I was also worried about the animals. The day before the cold rolled in it rained a decent amount. Now, I know animals can handle wet, cold, and wind -- any one of these three things alone is fine -- but as soon as you mix two or more together it can become a problem. Of course we had all three!
So I began to plan. I built a shelter for the cows that would block wind and rain. I also gave them hay for the first time this winter and made sure they had plenty. I made them in addition a larger 4 day paddock, not knowing if I would be able to get them if an emergency happened. I did the same for the pigs since I had young piglets at the time. Chickens were all snug in their mobile coop.
As the cold and wind rolled in, all of these animals surprised me. The cows did not use the shelter.; they instead bedded down in the woods to block the wind, and would come out to eat and drink when they needed to. The pigs also refused to use the shelter and instead they all just hog-piled together and kept warm. It is always a sight to see when everything around you is in a deep freeze and these pigs are snoring as they sleep comfortably! Overall everyone survived and stayed comfortable through it all.
We applaud the choice of providing some makeshift weather shelters for these animals, but are even happier to point out that the livestock decided it was unnecessary.
