Get your winter garden ready for the animals

Winter is coming 😉 so we all immediately think of the birds in our garden. We hang up nesting boxes, sprinkle leftover bread and let the suet balls adorn our trees. But are we doing the right thing? And are we forgetting our other garden friends such as hedgehogs, squirrels, insects... aren't we? Farm animals such as chickens, goats and cows also require extra attention during the winter months.

Garden birds🐦

Titmice and robins, among others, are busy looking for seeds and nuts in the winter garden during the dark months. They love peanuts and unsalted peanut butter (buy peanut butter suitable as bird food and not the supermarket variety for sandwiches), but other nuts are also popular. During the winter, our winged friends can lose up to 10% of their weight, which they are only too happy to compensate for with calorie-rich suet balls. Or how about a tasty cake with mealworms and fruit pieces for dessert?

In addition to all these nuts, you can also provide a few bushes and trees that bear edible berries. These are a welcome change in the bird's diet! Leftover bread is often crumbled up in the garden, but the salt in this bread is not healthy for the birds. So be careful with this!

During frosty days and nights, their drinking water will also freeze. Give fresh lukewarm water regularly, and cover larger drinking areas with netting so that the birds cannot bathe in it. Otherwise, their wings could freeze. Do not use iron drinking dishes, as their feet will also freeze on them.

Insects 🐝

During the winter, our thoughts are far away from the buzzing bees and fluttering butterflies, but they too have to get through these harsh months. By hanging an insect hotel, the bees and butterflies will hibernate in your garden and then thankfully pollinate your flowers and plants in summer. First, find a sheltered spot against rain and wind. Then, hang the insect hotel high enough so that no cats or other animals can reach it. You can buy the insect hotel ready-made but you can also easily make one yourself with some wood blocks, loam, pine cones and hollowed-out stems. Read our article about the butterfly and bee-friendly garden here.

Hedgehog🦔

This prickly dreamer hedgehog mainly feeds on insects, snails & worms but is not fussy. Before and after the winter, you can feed it extra with special hedgehog food. This food is composed of natural ingredients so that the hedgehog gets all the necessary nutrients. In this way, the hedgehog can enter its winter rest with a well-filled belly and regain its strength quickly after the cold months. Do you sometimes spot a hedgehog at your cat's food bowl? That's because hedgehogs are very fond of cat food. You can also feed them unsalted crushed peanuts. Never give them milk, however, as this can make them very sick; they are happy with a bowl of water.

Hedgehogs live primarily on insects. As soon as they can't find any in the winter, and have no other food available, they will hibernate. Contrary to popular belief, not all hedgehogs hibernate! It is especially important to provide supplementary food in early autumn so that the hedgehogs have a good supply of energy to start their winter hibernation.

Would you like to hedgehog-proof your garden? Then take a look here!

Squirrel🐿️

During autumn, this fluffy garden dweller collects nuts and seeds and hides them in secluded corners of the garden. As well as munching on crunchy nuts, they also pick the occasional mushroom or tasty berry.

You can also store unsalted walnuts, hazelnuts or peanuts in a squirrel feeder. This has a lockable roof so that only the squirrel can open the feeding place and the birds will not get their hands on the 'candy'. This tree-climber needs a lot of variety in its menu so serve it a different buffet regularly.

Just like humans, all these animals seek cosy and warm places during the dark and cold days. So create a few corners in your garden where they can hide and survive the winter. How do you do that? Simply by leaving some leaves and branches in your garden. It will save you a lot of tidying up and make the animals happy too! When the temperature rises again and we see the sun more often, there will be plenty of time for spring cleaning.

Grazing animals 🐑

Make sure that grazing animals (such as horses, cows, sheep...) have a dry and draught-free place to rest. Always provide them with sufficient water and, on freezing days, regularly top up with lukewarm water. These animals may have a warm coat that protects them, but if they get wet, they will not be able to keep themselves warm for as long and will fall ill more quickly. Chickens, sheep and goats should also be able to find a warm, draught-free home. Sprinkle fresh, dry straw in the stable regularly. This gives them a well-insulated bed to nest in in the evening.

Adult cows and horses can generally cope well with cold temperatures. However, they do need sufficient feed to maintain their strength. So feed them several times a day and give them lukewarm water so that they can drink sufficiently. Also provide a dry and draught-free place in the pasture and stable.

These articles might also interest you? 👇

• Nibbles for the squirrel
  
• Create a hedgehog-friendly garden
  
• Help your pets through a heatwave