Winter on the Farm

Over the years we've gotten a lot of questions about how we take care of our animals in the winter months and how our animals can still be pasture raised even when feet of snow cover the ground.

There may be a lot of cold and snow in Minnesota during the winter, but our animals still love being outdoors!

Learn more about what winter looks like on the farm below.

What do Farm Animals Eat During the Winter?

As you might imagine, hay! Lots and lots of hay... But that's not all!

We spend a lot of our time in the summer & autumn getting ready for winter and stocking up on hay & grasses.

Pigs and chickens also have access to free choice non-genetically modified grains as well, and chickens also enjoy a fresh supply of organic alfalfa!

They love foraging around outside (yes, even in the snow!) and find all sorts of tasty grasses and other things left in our fields.

Winter Isn't So Bad!

Yes, we have some cold nights here in Minnesota. It's important for our animals to have someplace warm to go when it gets super cold. In the winter, our animals prefer to be outside during the warmer mid-day warm sun and will stick to shelter during the colder parts of the day.

Winter Coats to Keep Warm: If you've lived with dogs or cats, you may have noticed that as winter approaches, many animals grow warmer, thicker coats. It's no different with our farm animals. Our pigs and cows develop thicker coats for the winter and being heritage breeds helps them be able to healthily put on a bit of extra warm fat, too!

Just like with with us, the key to enjoying winter is having some good winter gear and some warm shelter!