Do you own a few acres? Do you have, or have a yen for, small animals like donkeys, horses, goats or llamas? Raising animals can be very rewarding and teach responsibility to children if tasked with caring for the stock.
The costs associated with running a hobby farm can add up.
There's feed, milerals, upkeep like shoeing, there's immunizations and more.
The winter can be especially tough because the electricity needed to run the heat lamps, heating pads, and heated water buckets can be astronomical.
You can reduce some of that cost today with radiant barrier.
If you're not aware, radiant barrier (also called foil insulation) is a lightweight, tear-proof fabric comprised if 99% aluminum sandwiched over a woven polyester scrim.
The product is used to safeguard against the loss of radiant heat.
It serves to reflect the heat back onto the source rather than having it lost to the atmosphere.
For horse stalls and goat stalls, consider lining the entire length and any ceiling or roof enclosure that's low enough.
The foil will reflect the animal's natural body heat back onto them when eating or napping in the stalls.
They may tend to want to chew on the product, which in small doses won't hurt them.
But to discourage nibbling, screw small amounts of firing strips over the foil and into the wood of the stalls behind it.
If you own chickens and use coops to keep them safe, I recommend lining the inside of the coop with radiant barrier.
In small spaces like a coop, the animals will be even more comfortable.
The wind may howl and it may snow outside, but the radiant barrier will keep all your small animals toasty and warm.