Question Regarding "Giving exotic animals shelter" during Cold Weather

On the "Racing Nilgai" thread there were a couple of references to giving shelter to exotic animals so that they might survive in colder weather, like the Hill Country(versus South Texas). For you folks that raise and keep exotics, what type of shelter do you provide for your animals during cold weather, if any? Sheds, lean-tos, brush wind breaks, etc. Thanks for your help.

We never provided shelter on our ranch . But we did put out alfalfa free choice in the hunting areas when we had a cold front coming in . The black buck from my observation would have a harder time of it than others.

From what I have seen around here is that unless you have them confines to small areas even if you provided shelter they would not use it. I have shelter for my Ibex. The only time they use it is when it is raining. Ibex for some reason don't like rain, even in the summer. Then only the most aggressive will get any use out of it. The shelters I have in larger pastures very seldom get used especially by other exotics.

Hay bales.
Use round, coastal or tifton hay bales. We put about 4-6 of them in an arc and close together and in different locations on the ranch. The animals will lay down next to them to eat, pulling hay out on the ground. This creates a warm bedding and shelter from wind.

You can try molasses on alfalfa. Or molasses tubs work really well too.

Big brushpiles work too. A neighbor has black buck that bed in brushpiles during cold weather.