Wintering Goats
As temperatures drop and daylight shortens, goat producers should prepare to focus on winter preparation. Successfully wintering goats means more than simply providing shelter. Winter prep requires proactive nutrition planning, effective parasite management, thoughtful breeding and kidding strategies, and environmental considerations that vary by region. Regardless of whether you raise goats for show, breeding, meat, or milk production, your winter preparation choices directly impact animal performance, health, and productivity into spring and beyond.
This guide explores key considerations for wintering goats to ensure you maintain strong body condition, support immune health, and promote successful reproduction during the colder months.
DuraFerm® Can Help
DuraFerm® is a renowned brand of nutritional supplements for goats and sheep that supports optimal digestion and nutrition for maximized performance at every stage of production. Our products support producers looking to maximize their operations year-round. Best of all, DuraFerm products support reproduction using organic trace minerals and a research-proven prebiotic.
BioZyme® Inc., a leading fermentation company pioneering advancements in animal nutrition and health, developed DuraFerm to help producers just like you. Through innovative research and high-quality manufacturing, BioZyme creates powerful solutions that improve animal performance and support producer profitability in the agricultural industry.
Our mission: undeniable positive impact on the health and wellness of your animals and your business.
Understanding Seasonal Nutritional Needs
Winter changes the quality and availability of forage. Pastures that once supported grazing may go dormant or become insufficient to meet the herd’s needs. As a result, stored forages—hay, silage, or browse alternatives—often become the backbone of a winter feed program.
Assess Body Condition Before Wintering Goats
Evaluating body condition score (BCS) before winter sets in helps determine supplemental feeding needs. Ideally, mature does and bucks should enter winter in good body condition—neither too thin nor overly fleshy.
- Does: BCS of 2.5–3.5 (on a 1–5 scale)
- Bucks: BCS of 3–3.5
BCS in goats is best assessed by both visual appraisal and handling in three areas. First, you will want to evaluate the lumbar area, which is the area of the back behind the ribs containing the loin. Next, assess the fat covering the sternum (breastbone). Finally, you should feel the fat covering the rib cage and between the ribs. Animals that are under-conditioned when cold weather arrives require more feed to maintain body temperature and metabolic function.
Forage Quality Matters
Goats are selective grazers, meaning they thrive on clean, leafy, and high-quality hay. Legume hay, such as alfalfa, provides more protein and energy than grass hay, which is valuable for does in late gestation or lactation. However, high-quality grass hay works well for maintenance diets of non-lactating does and bucks.
- Maintenance requirement: about 2–2.5% of bodyweight in dry matter daily
- Late gestation/lactation: increases to about 3–4% of bodyweight
If hay quality is uncertain, testing forage for protein, fiber, and energy is a cost-effective way to determine supplementation needs. Now, for some good news for DuraFerm users: BioZyme offers complimentary hay testing to its customers. We know that you can’t simply tell the quality of hay by looking at it, so we offer this service free to any BioZyme customer. Simply contact your dealer or Area Sales Manager to learn more. These representatives can help you pull samples and get your hay analyzed so you can match the necessary nutrients needed to enhance your herd’s nutrition.
Supplement to Support Digestion & Performance
Goats rely heavily on rumen microbes to break down roughage. While wintering goats, their diets consist primarily of stored forages, and supporting rumen function becomes even more critical.
A balanced mineral program for goats ensures they receive key nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, copper, selenium, cobalt, and vitamin E to support metabolism, reproductive efficiency, and immune health. Feeding a mineral with a research-backed precision prebiotic like AO-Biotics Amaferm® can enhance fiber digestion, allowing goats to extract more energy from every mouthful of forage. This is especially valuable when hay quality fluctuates, or feed costs are high.
For operations in selenium-deficient regions, selecting a mineral formulated to address local trace mineral deficiencies is essential.
Shelter & Housing Considerations
Goats handle cold weather differently than cattle, sheep, or horses. While they can tolerate cool temperatures, they are far less tolerant of moisture and drafts. A dry goat is a healthy and happy goat.
Confine any doe preparing to kid in a well-ventilated barn with dry bedding, and dry newborns as soon as possible You can use heat lamps but monitor them closely to reduce the risk of electrocution or fire. Ventilation is vital to fresh air and to prevent respiratory issues.
Key Winter Housing Guidelines
- Provide windbreaks and draft-free shelter. Three-sided sheds or barns with dry bedding are ideal.
- Keep bedding clean and dry. Wet bedding contributes to chilling and respiratory stress.
- Allow adequate space. Overcrowding increases stress and increases the risk of respiratory disease.
- Ventilation is crucial. Good airflow reduces ammonia buildup without creating drafts.
In regions with harsh winters, use deep straw bedding packs to provide warmth and insulation. However, these require frequent addition of dry bedding to prevent moisture and waste accumulation.
Water Access & Hydration
Even in winter, goats must have access to clean, thawed water. Dehydration increases the risk of impaction and urinary calculi, especially in wethers and bucks.
Consider these strategies for hydration while wintering goats:
- Heated waterers or heated buckets
- Checking water supply at least twice daily
- Placing salt sources where goats will return to drink
Warm water encourages intake, supporting digestion and body temperature regulation.
Parasite & Hoof Health in Winter
Winter typically brings a natural decline in parasite pressures, especially in colder climates. However, goats can still harbor internal parasites picked up in fall pastures. Conducting fecal testing before winter confinement allows for targeted deworming only when necessary.
Hoof trimming remains essential to wintering goats. Wet bedding and muddy lots can contribute to hoof rot and lameness. Hooves should be trimmed before winter and spot-checked during the season.
Breeding & Kidding Considerations
Wintering goats often overlap with breeding or late gestation, depending on your production schedule and regional climate. Goats are naturally short-day breeders, so many producers are finishing breeding as the colder temperatures set in. We do realize that, thanks to modern technologies, goats and sheep, too, can now experience estrus and breed out of season.
Breeding in Northern & Cold-Weather Regions
Producers in northern climates often breed for spring kidding (February–April), ensuring warmer weather for kids by turnout. In these areas:
- Maintain does in moderate body condition through breeding.
- Bucks may lose weight during the rut. Ensure they have access to higher-energy feed and minerals.
- As does approach late gestation, protein and energy demands increase significantly—monitor hay quality closely.
The last six weeks of pregnancy are critical. Most fetal growth occurs during this time, and nutrition must support both kid development and udder formation.
Kidding in Southern & Mild Winter Regions
Producers in southern climates might kid earlier in winter to avoid heat stress in late spring and summer. For these operations:
- Shelter and clean kidding spaces are essential to prevent chilling, especially during temperature swings.
- Parasite management remains more important than in cold climates, as mild winters allow parasite life cycles to continue.
- Ensure does have access to high-quality alfalfa or protein supplementation to support milk production.
Newborn Kid Care
Regardless of region, newborn care is consistent:
- Ensure kids nurse colostrum within two hours.
- Dry kids thoroughly to prevent chilling.
- Provide draft-free, well-bedded kidding areas.
Some producers use kidding pens or “jugs” to help establish mother-kid bonding for 24–48 hours.
Managing Herd Social Dynamics & Stress
Wintering goats often brings changes to herd grouping, especially if bucks and does have been separated outside of breeding season. Stress can reduce feed intake and immune function.
To ease transitions, introduce dietary changes gradually. Continue to group animals by nutritional need, such as pregnant does, maintenance does, weaned kids, and bucks. Minimize regrouping after the pecking order stabilizes.
Monitor Nutrition & Health All Winter Long
Daily observation is the most valuable tool when wintering goats and their health. Key signs to watch include:
- Reduced feed intake
- Coughing or nasal discharge
- Rough hair coat
- Scours or constipation
- Weight loss or sudden attitude change
Addressing small issues early prevents major health setbacks.
DuraFerm Provides Balanced Nutrition
Wintering goats doesn’t have to be challenging when you give your herd a balanced diet with a complete vitamin and mineral package like the one offered by DuraFerm.
DuraFerm is a line of nutritional supplements for sheep and goats that supports optimal digestion and nutrition for maximized performance at every stage of production.
With two different formulas made specifically for goats, DuraFerm mineral is ideal for any operation’s management goals and all seasons. It contains Amaferm, a prebiotic research-proven to enhance digestibility, and high levels of vitamin E for reproductive tract repair. Additionally, it supports embryo production and conception using organic trace minerals.
DuraFerm®Concept•Aid® Goat
Are you looking for a loose mineral best suited for your herd’s year-round nutrition needs? DuraFerm Concept•Aid Goat is a free-choice vitamin and mineral supplement for goats that supports reproductive success. This loose mineral comes in both a traditional 50-pound bag and a new 12-pound bag.
DuraFerm®Concept•Aid® Goat Protein Tub
The DuraFerm Concept•Aid Goat Protein Tub provides vitamins, minerals, and Amaferm to goats to support reproductive success and general health.
The 50-pound tub contains the Concept•Aid goat mineral package in a 20% natural protein tub. It supports embryo production and conception using organic trace minerals and elevated levels of vitamin E.
“DuraFerm is formulated at 2.5 times the NRC requirements to ensure that your herd is getting the best nutritional supplement possible. Add that in with the Amaferm, Vitamin E and organic trace minerals, you are sure to have some of the healthiest, most reproductively sound females,” said Sam Silvers, BioZyme Director of National Specialty Sales.
The Final Word: Winter Preparation Pays Off in Spring
Wintering goats successfully sets the stage for reproductive success, healthy kids, and stronger animals going into spring grazing. By prioritizing nutrition, shelter, water, parasite management, and region-appropriate breeding and kidding strategies, producers can maintain herd productivity and health even during the most challenging weather.
Whether your farm is in a harsh northern climate or a mild southern region, thoughtful winter preparation ensures your goats remain resilient, productive, and ready for the season ahead.
Add DuraFerm to your Winter Preparation
As you prepare for wintering goats, don’t forget to order your DuraFerm to have on hand. Adding DuraFerm to your operation is easy.
Find a dealer closest to you using our dealer locator.
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Want more information about DuraFerm or to use our goat gestation calculator? Visit us online.