We think of February as the month of love, because we need to make very sure a lot of warm love is focused on all our rescues. February in New England is snowy and intensely cold. Lollipop and Boomer Minihorses are ready for that with their shaggy winter coats (but we sure hope we don't get 24 inches of snow anytime soon since these two sweethearts are only 27 inches tall).
Winter is mercurial, with an occasional surprise gift of a warm sunny day that teases the spring to come in April. Our mammals still have thick winter fur, and our birds have their fresh winter feathers.
We show love to the pigs by giving them extra timothy hay for fluffy nests (they eat it too!). The horses get plenty of extra hay on cold nights because their digestion of hay generates heat and warmth in their bodies. Our older and immuno-compromised horses have extra blankets to help them maintain heat. The cows, goats, sheep, llama and alpaca also require more hay in February than they need in the warmer months.
All our birds are eating so much more of the commercial pelleted feeds than in the summer. Our insectivore birds (guinea fowl, turkeys and ducks) don't have any of their favorite bugs at this time of year (they are vocal about being bummed by this), so they make up for that with eating more pellets.
All the rescues here have sturdy shelters with the freedom to go in and out 24/7 with the exception that the birds need to be safely contained at night to protect them from predators (it is the month of love for the coyotes too, so we want to make extra sure no bird is out of the coop!)
Everyone at Unity Farm Sanctuary would like to also send you, our supporters, a lot of love for the encouragement, volunteering, donations and friendship you send our way as we work to care for our rescues and grow our mission of kindness and compassion.