Winter Weather WARNING!! - How to be ready

Later this week mid Missouri is forecasted to get 5inches of snow. That's not the concerning part, what is concerning is that the wind chill is forecasted to be -20 -- -30. Those are dangerously cold temps.

Winter Coats Especially if your horse does not have access to shelter to get out of the wind you should really consider putting a coat on them for this major wind chill. These are deadly temperatures especially for animals that are not use to these conditions. Straw Any animals that have to bed down outside should be provided with straw. Straw helps provide insulation and circulates heat. Ideally small animals like dogs or cats should be brought inside in these temps. If that is not doable provide shelter with deep straw bedding. 5 Gallon Buckets with Lids If you need to transport water, 5 gallon buckets with lids can make that task a little easier. They are a manageable size and prevent water being spilt. Alfalfa Cubes/Hay and Beetpulp Cold weather beings on a major challenge of getting horses to drink water, even if you can keep if from freezing sometimes horses don't want to drink. In addition to providing warm water there's a few things you can do. Add a few alfalfa hay cubes to the warm water to make a "tea". You can also use cubes or beetbulp to make a warm mash for your horse which will ensure they are getting water in them. Alfalfa hay is also great to offer during these cold temps as it helps horses generate more heat. Hand Warmers Hand warmers are great to shove in your pockets to keep you warm while doing chores but they can also be useful for your animals as well. In a pinch 18 hour hand warmers can be used to keep water from freezing, place hand warmer or two, in a plastic container. and toss into bucket. Works best is the bucket is out of the wind and is not to big. They also can be added in with straw bedding for cats or dogs if they HAVE to stay outside. Cat Litter (or Sand) Don't overlook this last one even if you don't have a cat. Cat litter can be used to provide traction in icy conditions. When temps are as cold as they are going to be, there's not any use in throwing salt, it won't help. so you're best bet is applying traction to the ice. This can be done by sprinkling sand or cat littler over the ice where you need some traction. Stay safe. Stay warm and stay prepared.