Extension agents give advice on winter livestock

Submitted Photo Cattle can thrive in winter with proper care. Photo by Paige Brummund.
Dr. Karl Hoppe cautions against the use of barns to keep cattle sheltered against the cold. Hoppe, an Extension livestock specialist with the North Dakota State University’s Carrington Research Center, said cattle can ruin the air quality inside the buildings unless there’s proper ventilation. He advocated for keeping cattle outside where the air is fresh but stressed that cattle like to be away from the wind.
In an email, Lacey Quail, a Livestock Management specialist with the NDSU North Central Research Extension Center, said “providing shelter from wind, especially if conditions are wet, is crucial.”
She explained that while cattle are out on range, they can find shelter in land features and tree cover. She also said manmade windbreaks offer good protection against the elements. She said, and Hoppe echoed, that cattle may prioritize getting out of the wind over feeding and watering themselves. Bringing animals closer to food, water and shelter is important, she said.
According to an NDSU Extension publication, constructed wind fences should be 20% open and 80% solid.
Bedding made of hay, straw or other soft materials is another important aspect of proper livestock care.
“If you’re not sure if cattle need bedding, put some out, and if they lay on it, then obviously they want it,” Hoppe said.
Cattails offer both bedding and wind protection for cattle, he added.
“Making sure water doesn’t freeze is crucial. Frozen water will reduce cattle intake,” Hoppe said. “If they can’t drink water, they won’t eat feed, and when it’s cold, you want them to eat feed.”
If cattle aren’t eating their food, often something is wrong with the water.
“Either it’s not fresh, or it’s not liquid,” he said.
Many cattle will eat snow if given the choice if it’s not hard, frozen snow, according to Hoppe, but many aren’t adapted to it. He said making sure the heaters used to keep water clear of ice are adequately sized is important. Wrapping water supply lines is a way to ensure livestock get fresh water throughout the winter.
“Keeping water ice free is the answer,” he said.
Food intake for cattle during storms can be difficult to manage, said Brendan Klebe, an Agriculture and Natural Resources agent with the NDSU Extension in Pierce County. He said cattle need as much as 125% more food when temperatures get below 5 degrees.
The challenge, he and Hoppe both said, is that cattle don’t eat as much in “exceptional weather,” as Hoppe put it, like blizzards. One tip Klebe offered is to feed cattle late in the day, as the activity of eating and ruminating will generate heat overnight.
If there’s expected bad weather, Hoppe it’s a good idea to make sure hay feeders are filled, giving an extra few days of on-hand food. He noted that keeping hay on hand is another best management practice, as having hay nearby can prevent it from being an impassable road away from the cattle during a blizzard.
After a blizzard, cattle will be hungry, Hoppe said. At this point he explained, “You don’t feed them a high grain ration. You feed them what they’d normally eat, or maybe a higher roughage ration.”
Conditioning cattle, or feeding them a diet that will allow them to gain weight is an important step to prepare them for winter, Hoppe said. Calves are typically weaned off cows heading into winter, he said, which gives the cows an opportunity to save the energy otherwise used for milk production, allowing them to build reserves of energy.
Parasites are another factor in keeping cattle warm, according to Hoppe. He explained that when cattle have lice (not the human kind, he stressed), they rub to scratch their itches. This can lead to them rubbing all their hair off and losing that insolation, he said.
Internal parasites can be dealt with by deworming. Hoppe said medication can be administered, or a stool sample can be collected to diagnose the need, with the help of a veterinarian. For the test, the cost could be compared to the price of gas to deliver it, he said.
After a winter weather event, Hoppe said, “You always go out and look at animal behavior.” He explained he looks at his cattle and makes sure everyone in the herd is moving normally. He said if any of them are having mobility issues, they could be afflicted with something and may not be able to get to food, water or shelter. There are a variety of ailments that can beset cattle after severe weather, and the animals should be looked at closely for things like snow on their faces and mouths, frostbite, frozen testicles or other indications they are not well.
“After extreme cold temperatures and winter weather, it is important to keep a watchful eye on cattle to make sure that any respiratory illness is caught early,” said Quail, who explained that veterinarians are the resource to use.