wintering animals

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

Due to a recent accident, I will be in a cast for the next several weeks, and in rehab for most of the winter. This has effectively halted our efforts to get the new chicken coop and barn up at our new place before the MN winter hits. Dr. says I can resume construction work in April, which is about the time the snow will start melting. As we have only gotten foundations and a couple of basic walls framed in (no walls, no roof), neither building is going to be usable this winter.

When not out in the pasture, our shetland pony has been living in 1 of 3 makeshift 10x10 stalls made from cattle panels in our almost empty 40x70 quanset machine shed. Our soon-to-be-laying layers are in a chicken tractor, and our ducks are running around loose.

What would be a workable wintering situation that would keep our pony, chickens, and ducks warm enough when it is -30 degrees this winter? I have been considering having the children stack hay bales around the pony stall, but have no idea what to do across the top to hold the heat in. The children are all under age 9, so they're not going to be much help in "heavy" work ideas.

I don't want to go out to do chores one morning and find a frozen pony. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Wendy in MN

-- Wendy Newman (wjnewman@rtsmn.com), September 19, 2001

Answers

Try using one of your cattle pannels bent into an upside down 'U'. Stake it in the ground with 't' posts. Cover this with something like a tarp add a layer of thick straw or hay over that and wire it in. Use a board to close off one side and once it snows keep a light layer of snow on the shelter for insulation. Shetlands and most sturdy ponies can be out if they have a good wind block. One winter with lots of 30 below our pony prefered to stay out. We only had a three sided shed for the horses. We just offered warm water a couple of times a day, kept the ice off his coat and he was just fine. Maybe your chickens can have a small snug space in the shelter that is blocked off from your pony.

-- miller (smillers@snowcrest.net), September 19, 2001.

Add a little bit to what miller mentioned. You can make two rows of 3 fence post in a line. Each row has 3 fence post placed about 8' apart. And the two rows are placed about 8' apart. Place a 16' cattle panel down each row and you will have two walls perpendicular to each other. Now place part of a cattle panel on one end of the two rows making a U-shaped pen. At the bottom of this U-shape pen fasten 2"X6"s to the panels. You may have to drill holes to run a lenght of wire or twine to hold lumber in place. Next take cattle panels and fasten to top of of one panel wall and bend in a u-shape up and over to the other panel wall and fasten. It will probably take about 4 panels for the entire lenght of the structure. Custom fit the second half of panel that you used for the end and place it on the top half of the end. Now you will need to shop around for plastic big enough to cover the whole structure or you could use several tarps to cover the structure. Use some type of a strip to fasten over the tarp/plastic at the bottom to the 2"X6"s.(On top of the 2X6s you will fasten the tarp/plastic, and then on top of the plastic you will nail on a 1X2 strip to keep the plastic from ripping off) You could use some 2"X4"s to fasten on the inside of the structure toward the back up high for the chickens to roost on. Cut about the bottom 8" off of a 5 gallon bucket or two and drill two small holes about a inch apart, one on top of the other, in the side to fasten to the wall and fill with straw hay for the hens to lay eggs in. You will probably need the help of neighbors or friends to help build this, but it can be built in one day if you have all the material.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), September 20, 2001.

-30 degrees this winter! - You need help, you must try and give them good shelter (they to get them built properly) or you will end up facing your worst nightmare.

The bottom line is you could slaughter the chickensa,and start again in the spring, but the pony will still need help. you may be able to find a friend that wil stable it. perhaps for a fee, cost of feed etc ?

Could I sugest you try your family , you neibours, your church.

Sorry I cant help - being in europe.

Julian

-- Julian (julian_young@nl.compuware.com), September 20, 2001.


Wendy, If you don't have some manly muscle around, I would go with the hay bales. Go aprox. 16' on the backside, 10' on the sides. Come out in the back towards middle with a mid section of bales to make two pens (E). Place the bales making one section smaller for your poultry and the bigger for your pony. Use more bales in the front. Put 2x6's(or 2x4's) across the top with plywood if possible. (Stuff cracks?-air). Stack more bales (1 layer) on top. Go no higher than necessary. You could go 8' instead of 10' but it would seem better to have some air and light. Whatever works. Place your cattle panels around the entrance to the pony side and perhaps poultry wire or you may be able to rig your chicken tractor to the poultry side. We have kept all poultry together and the only problem we ever had was dogs. You can place hay down on the ground and place poles between the bales for roosting. Cardboard boxes or cut off 5 gal. buckets would work for layer boxes. This is something I could tackle with me directing two boys under 8. Now they are teenagers and it would be an impossibility. Hope this helps.

-- Diana (MO) (safehavenofhope@hotmail.com), September 20, 2001.

Wendy I'm sorry to hear about your accident. Wish hubby and I were close enough to help out. We'd certainly do our best to help build a shelter for your animals. I'm hoping there's someone in your area that could help. Good luck.

-- Grannytoo (jacres40@hotmail.com), September 20, 2001.


I already answered Wendy's question on another list, but it looks like I'd better say something here to clear up a misconception. Yes, the poultry do need shelter through the winter, but, believe it or not, as long as the pony has plenty of good grass hay and some water, all it needs is a windbreak. Horses are very hardy and grow nice dense, warm winter coats. Mustangs survive just fine with no help whatsoever, and plenty of them live where temperatures get thirty below or colder. We had a pony when we lived in Alaska who had run loose with her mother for four years, ever since she was born. This was in an area where winter temperatures regularly get down to sixty and seventy degrees below zero, frequently with wind blowing at the same time. Nobody was feeding these two ponies (at least not on purpose, they were stealing dog food off porches, which foundered the one we ended up with), they had no roof over their heads, and only the trees for a windbreak, and they were doing just fine. People tend to pamper horses more than is really good for them, they are healthier if they are outdoors in the fresh air, than cooped up in a small stuffy "warm" stall!

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), September 20, 2001.

I agree with Kathleen. We had a shetland pony and he stayed outside most of the time. If it was really cold he would go in the shed with the sheep (mostly a windbreak). We have only larger horses now and very few of them are kept in the barn for any length of time and are all very healthy.

If you are keeping the pony in a stall all of the time, he won't get the exercise or grow the winter coat he needs.

-- beckie (sunshine_horses@yahoo.com), September 20, 2001.


No Countrysiders in Wendy's area that can board a shetland? I would think just in the amount of fun, winterbound, homeschooled kids would have with a pony for several months, would be alot of incentive! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), September 20, 2001.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ