The last of the Christmas leftovers might still be lingering in the fridge, but out in the yard winter jobs have only just begun.
January is time to take stock of what’s working, what needs repairing and what requires a head start before the next rush of the season. This is the moment where small preparations make the biggest difference.
Below is our early-winter checklist: not a list of chores, more a guide to staying ahead of the cold, keeping animals comfortable, and giving yourself a smoother run into the months that follow.
Sheep feeding and hay racks
If you’re feeding sheep outdoors, mobile hay racks come into their own now. Being able to move feed to fresher ground (or at least drier ground) prevents those deep poached patches that take until May to recover. January is also a good time to rotate feeding positions, reducing foot issues and giving sodden corners a fighting chance to recover.
Take a slow walk around your paddocks and think about accessibility. Where are you slipping? Where are the sheep lingering? Small adjustments now make February’s feeding rounds much kinder.
Cattle feeding setups
Cattle feeding is a balancing act between nutrition, ground conditions and machinery access. Look at your current setup with fresh New Year eyes: are troughs stable? Are gates holding up? Is there a section of trackway that would benefit from a few barrows of stone before another freeze?
It’s often the simplest fixes that save the most time in winter.
Lambing Meds and Consumables
Check your lambing kit now, while you still have breathing space. Look for expired meds, missing iodine bottles, dwindling gloves, syringes that you swear you had last year and marker sprays that mysteriously went walkabout.
Lambing season rewards the prepared and early January is the sweet spot for gentle, pressure-free organising.
Hedging and young tree plantings face their hardest test after Christmas, when winds pick up and saturated soil loosens roots.
Take an hour to walk the fence lines, checking guards for splits, ties for rubbing and ensuring no winter debris has built up around stems.
If you planted anything new in the autumn, this is the inspection that will save you heartbreak after the next gale.
This is the month to inspect:
• Are rugs drying fully between uses?
• Any rubbing spots appearing after persistent wet weather?
• Do you need to rotate a rug that’s seen too many storms?
Mid-winter rug checks are less about buying new and more about making sure what you already have is working as intended.
If you’re dealing with a clipped horse, or one in heavier work, now is also the moment to make sure your layering options are still doing the job.
The combination of cold metal, short days and wet clothing makes January the toughest month for workshop tasks. But it’s also an ideal time to get back on top of tool organisation and maintenance.
Workshop Equipment
Do a quick audit of:
• Lighting (does anything flicker when it’s really cold?)
• Tool sharpness
• Winter consumables (grease, discs, belts)
• Extension leads and power strips
• Any of those small annoyances you’ve been ignoring since October
Small tweaks now prevent downtime, especially when you really need equipment working at the first time of asking.
MIG Welders
Gate dragging? Trailer hinge cracked? Yard repair list getting longer? January is peak welding season, but only if your welder is ready for it. Check your tips and nozzles, clean out housings and inspect cables. Is your gas supply is stored safely and sensibly?
Frozen pipes are one of the first big headaches of the New Year – even a brief cold snap can cause issues.
Water pipe fittings
Now is the perfect time to:
• Wrap any exposed fittings
• Replace worn, cracked or bodged-together joins
• Improve insulation around vulnerable bends
• Re-route temporary fixes into something more permanent
A few minutes spent protecting fittings now can prevent the dreaded “no water at 6am” moment.
January is when the cold sinks deeper into stone walls, flag floors and old timber frames. Indoor heaters and small winter warmers become heroes.
Indoor Heaters
Think of these not as “whole house heating solutions” but as clever targeted warmth. An extra boost in the utility room for drying kit, a warm corner for the dog, some reprieve in a home office – every small comfort helps make for a happier home.
If your house loses heat fast, January is also a great moment to check draughty areas, door gaps, window latches and any cold pipes that might benefit from insulation.
If you’ve got winter crops, reseeded pasture, or areas prone to bird damage, early January is peak time to reassess scaring methods.
Cold weather concentrates birds. If pigeons or crows have found an easy food source, now is exactly when you’ll notice. Walk the fields and adjust what you’re doing – sometimes even moving a bird scarer 20 metres is enough to break a habit.
What makes early-winter prep so valuable is that it’s all about prevention. You’re not trying to overhaul your farm or home; you’re just smoothing the path for that dodgy weather window ahead.
So, make a flask of tea, put on a warm coat and take a circuit of the yard, the sheds, the paddocks and the lanes. You don’t need to fix everything in one go – just make those minor improvements that over the coming months will make a big difference.
