Staying Warm is Snow Joke! - Staying Warm in the Big Freeze

Staying Warm is Snow Joke! 

How do sheep stay warm in a big freeze? 

Much like humans, sheep are at their healthiest when they have access to fresh air. But what happens when that air reaches the minus figures? Last week, the UK recorded a seriously chilly minus 23°C (Braemar, Scotland) which is the lowest temperature in over 25 years. If you are fluff lovers like us it doesn't take long for your mind to wander to the sheep on the hills! So here's what we know...

Shelter - obvious right? 

Yes and no. For those who are not experts on sheep husbandry it could be easy to assume the safest and best place for our fluffy friends is tucked up nice and dry in a warm, shuttered barn. This is partly true but keeping sheep shut in a barn together creates a build up of moisture and ammonia in the air. This can easily irritate their respiratory tract and cause infection so having access to fresh air everyday is an extremely important part of keeping them happy and healthy. One of the best ways to manage this is by giving free access to the outside, by leaving a barn door open of putting a wind break style shelter in a field. This will only provide shelter from the wind, the temperature will still be cold but they will still be fine, we promise! 

Sustenance

Sheep like food just as much as we do and just like us it heats them from the inside out. The more they eat the warmer they get - for us this means a bar of chocolate on a chilly day is totally the right thing to do! Good quality second cut hay is perfect winter fodder as it actually ferments. This process creates a large amount of heat and is as close to a natural hot water bottle as you can get. In extreme cold farmers may treat the sheep to some warm molasses - the sheep equivalent of a hot cocoa!

Walking duvets

Incase you haven't spotted it yet, sheep are covered in their own natural insulation!  Wool is incredible at keeping their body heat in and the cold out. Their wool is so good at keeping their body heat tucked away you may even see sheep with snow resting on their backs (I think we all want to take that photograph...) Their wool even has extra protection, something felters who work with raw fleece/locks will have experience of -  lanolin. Lanolin feels a little oily/greasy to touch and has a definite sheep smell.  It is almost like a waterproof coat and prevents moisture from getting to their skin. Dry and warm, the wool really does it's job doesn't it?

We hope this has given you peace of mind -  sheep can be delightfully happy, healthy and warm no matter what winter throws at them!