🐮 Winter Prep on the Farm: Cozy Chaos Ahead

My favorite time of year is here, and I couldn’t be more in my feels. 🍂
I love October — it’s my favorite month and I’m all about everything spooky. But that also means winter is coming, and it’s time to start prepping the farm for the colder months.

This time last year, it was just the horses and chickens to worry about. Now, we’ve added cattle (and a few other misfit farm members), so there’s a bit more to tackle this season — and honestly, I’m not looking forward to the frozen buckets again or frozen fingers!

I still haven’t found a perfect system to keep water from freezing — especially for the bigger troughs. I've seen some good things about a handy little product called the Freeze Miser on Facebook that we're going to give a try this year. I'll give an update and review once we see how it holds up with our troughs.The horses are already growing in their winter coats, and the Highlands are starting to fluff up too. I still blanket my horses once temperatures hit freezing, but otherwise, I let their natural coats do the work.

Thankfully, our barn keeps the goats and pigs warm and cozy through the winter. Around this time, I double-check supplies, patch up pens, and add extra bedding for insulation. The goats and piggies get a thick layer of shavings, and I start unpacking the winter blankets for everyone else.

Since the grass will start dying off soon, we’ve stocked up on hay — a few round bales and plenty of square ones. One pasture does alright through winter, but I like having backup feed ready to go.

Lastly, I’ll be working on a farrowing pen for Lucy before it gets hand-numbingly cold — because we’re expecting piglets in January! 🐷💕

Farm life never really slows down, even when everything else seems to. Here’s to hot coffee, hot chocolate, fluffy cows, and staying one step ahead of Oklahoma winter. ❄️☕