In this video, we finish the wood stove that we started last winter. Footage was mostly filmed in the fall, but the animal update was captured right after our huge cold spell where the temperature went down to -10 degrees!

Wood heat has been wonderful for its money savings and ambience, but is certainly an adjustment. We now include getting wood for the fire in our daily chores and have to spend time tending the fire. The heat is also inconsistent in the house, so some rooms are warm or even hot while others are cold or freezing! Despite all this, we have very much enjoyed the wood heat!

In Indiana, the goats and chickens don't need much to get through the cold. Even in the recent frigid temperatures, heat lamps were not required. However, we do have four walls for all of our animals (not just run-ins or coops with a lot of open air). The spaces are mostly draft free, we use the deep litter method (which produces heat as the bottom layers of straw break down), and we use heated water buckets. That's all they need! We did check on the animals a few times throughout the day during the coldest two days.

Feel free to ask questions about wood heat below! Hope your holidays were wonderful and your new year is starting out well!