Every winter, I see the same well-meaning question pop up in goat groups everywhere: “It’s freezing outside – should I put a coat on my goat?”
I get it. It’s cold, they look cold, and we love them. We want to help.
But here’s what’s actually happening when you put a coat on a healthy goat – and why it might be doing the opposite of what you intend.
How Goats Stay Warm
Goats thermoregulate by trapping warm air in pockets within their fur. Think of it like a down jacket – it’s not the feathers themselves that keep you warm, it’s the dead air space between them.
Your goat’s fluffy winter coat works the same way. Those layers of fur create insulation by trapping body heat in tiny air pockets close to the skin.
When we put a coat or blanket over that fur, we compress it. We eliminate those air pockets. We essentially remove their natural insulation system and replace it with a layer of fabric that’s probably less effective than what we just squashed.
The result? A goat that’s actually colder with a coat than without one.
I know it feels counterintuitive. We’re cold, so we assume they are too. But goats have been surviving winters for thousands of years without our intervention – and their bodies are remarkably well-designed for it.
What Actually Keeps Goats Warm in Winter
Instead of reaching for coats, focus on these three things:
1. Deep Bedding
A thick layer of straw or other bedding gives goats somewhere to nestle in and trap even more warm air around their bodies. This works with their natural insulation instead of against it.
2. Unlimited Good Quality Hay
Here’s something many people don’t realize: the process of digesting long-stem roughage is thermogenic. It literally generates heat. A goat with a full rumen is a warm goat.
Keep those hay feeders topped off with hay they actually want to eat – not hay they’re picking through and leaving half behind. Quality matters.
3. Fresh, Unfrozen Water
Dehydration compromises everything, including the ability to regulate body temperature. Make sure they have consistent access to water that isn’t frozen solid.
When a Coat DOES Make Sense
I’m not saying coats are never appropriate. There are situations where external warming support is genuinely helpful:
- Sick goats who can’t maintain their own body temperature
- Underweight goats who don’t have enough body condition or reserves
- Goats recovering from illness or surgery whose systems are compromised
- Newborn kids in extreme cold whose thermoregulation isn’t fully developed yet
In these cases, a coat is a bridge – temporary support while you address the underlying issue.
The key question to ask yourself: Am I putting this coat on because this specific animal genuinely needs external support right now? Or am I putting it on because I feel cold and want to help?
One is appropriate intervention. The other is projection.
Trust the Fur
I remember standing in my barn during a cold snap a few years ago, watching my does lounging in the deep bedding, completely unbothered. Meanwhile, I was shivering in my Berne.
They weren’t cold. I was cold. And I was projecting my experience onto them.
Part of the holistic journey is learning when to intervene and when to get out of the way. Goats have been keeping themselves warm for thousands of years. Their bodies work.
Our job isn’t to override their systems – it’s to support them. Deep bedding, good hay, fresh water, and the trust that they know what they’re doing.
Save the coat for the goat who actually needs it. For everyone else? Trust the fur.
