Warmth Through Winter: herbs that keep animals warm
Temperatures are dipping here in January on the farm. When things get a bit frigged like single digit or below zero, I like to help keep all of our animals a little cozier by adding different foods and herbs that help conduct energy.
ANIMALS EAT SEASONALLY
In the wild, most animals eat what the season provides OR, they gorge on specific types of food before the harsher elements come in order to ensure their body composition is suited for staying warm. Our animals we keep on the farm may not be “wild” but physiologically, their bodies require much of the same fluctuations as their distant relatives and it is up to us, the animals keepers, to mimic much of that for every species we have.
I recently wrote here about herbs that I use in my homemade treats for the animals to help keep their parasite load as low as possible (I say as low as possible because they are OUTSIDE animals as will always have a certain degree of parasite load). This week with getting a decent cold front blowing in made me think to write a second piece on what I use to help a lot of my animals conduct energy into heat keeping them more comfortable throughout these harsh days + fridged nights.
SAFE HERBS + FOODS THAT CONDUCT HEAT
Ancient types of grains such as blue corns sprouted grains
Cinnamon (for goats start with 1/4 t or less)
(Black pepper for ducks and chickens NOT for goats or cattle)
Ginger / Ginger root
Clove (do not give to pregnant or suspected pregnant animals)
Oregano
Molasses
Nuts and Berries
Black oil sunflower seeds (adds extra fats and aminos good for staying warm)
I’ve cross checked all of these herbs online as being safe for ducks, goats, chickens, cattle and pig
HOWEVER PLEASE CROSS REFERENCE TO ENSURE YOU ARE IN THE CLEAR
Feeding the foods on their own such as extra rations of the sprouted grains + ancient corns and nuts and berries is completely fine. Even just extra feed would help quite a bit but mixing these into things like molasses helps bring about electrolytes and encourages trust and bonding over tasty treats. You can follow the recipe in the blog titled “Parasite Prevention Treats”
