How Cold is Too Cold?

[J]

(tomorrow it should be low 30s at that time).

This is just too funny. You Texans are wimps!!!

Your probably right but I would like to know what you consider in your part of the country what HOT is? :shock: Give me a degrees and also a humidity. Bet it ain't nothing like here in Texas.

Be careful not to start up another North vs. South thread.

 

[Cattle Rack Rancher]

Last night it was -18 F here. The cows looked a bit chilly but only because they aren't used to it yet. My cattle winter in the trees and it often gets below -50 F with the windchill. Cattle are pretty tough.

 

[Beefy]

Tex, he can take the cold. the biggest thing is let him get acclimated to it though. dont throw him out in below freezing weather if hes used to being around 70 in the barn. common sense stuff like that. having said that he needs turn out for his mental health. i'd turn him out during the warmest part of the day when its cold like that if you can. having a windbreak certainly wont hurt anything.

 

[El_Putzo]

(tomorrow it should be low 30s at that time).

This is just too funny. You Texans are wimps!!!

Your probably right but I would like to know what you consider in your part of the country what HOT is? :shock: Give me a degrees and also a humidity. Bet it ain't nothing like here in Texas.

We get a little of both here. Winter temps ocasionally around 0 at night and summer temps of 100 and 80-90% humidity during the days. Not really extreme on either end, but plenty of variation for me!! :lol:

 

[TheBullLady]

Hey.. we may be WIMPS here in Texas, but we're not crazy enough to live and raise cattle somewhere it's -18 degrees already! Y'all are TOUGH, I'll tell you that! :cboy:

 

[certherfbeef]

(tomorrow it should be low 30s at that time).

This is just too funny. You Texans are wimps!!!

Your probably right but I would like to know what you consider in your part of the country what HOT is? :shock: Give me a degrees and also a humidity. Bet it ain't nothing like here in Texas.

I don't like the heat. Several folks can vouch that I can't handle Texas heat even in June.

I would put 90 and 50% humidity HOT. Three digit temps humidity or not is insane.

I like the 10 degrees with 3 ft of snow.

Be careful not to start up another North vs. South thread.

I wouldn't do that on purpose. I have met some pretty nice southern folk in the past year.

 

[cornstalk]

Hey.. we may be WIMPS here in Texas, but we're not crazy enough to live and raise cattle somewhere it's -18 degrees already! Y'all are TOUGH, I'll tell you that! :cboy:

Naww.....not all that Tough. I give all the credit to our "northern" women, I might be cold outside, but indoors... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I think it's all what your used to. Born and raised in these parts, you become accustomed to the climate, and really dont think twice about it.

As for the heat.....yeah, we get that too. The 4th of July will often find temps in the 100 deg range with 80-90% humidity.

The land of infinate variety!!

(My grandpa always told me "South Dakota winters are what keep the codswallop out!")

:cboy:

 

[ALACOWMAN]

the only time i have put my cattle in the barn is during the blizzard of 93. my hat is off to you people in the extreme north. i hope i never see any thing like that again.

 

[TxCoUnTrYbOy]

Thanks for all the info everyone.

We dont have any shelter outside, but we get maybe a few nights in the freezeing range a year. Usually winter stays mid to upper 30s for us at night. In the 40s to 50s during the day. It would be in the 30s still when I put them outside, but warming up. If it is raining or real wet from rain outside I usually leave them in for the day. One thing I cant stand is having the hole place one big mud hole from animals walking around when its real wet.

I HATE the cold weather. I hate wearing jackets and I hate being cold. Unless its snowing, I dont want to be in the cold. Id rather take the Texas heat over the cold anyday.

 

[semen demon]

Kept ropin' steers in Illinios for about three years. NEVER again, god forgot to give them hair and resistance to upper respiratory. Below about 15 or 20 degrees they need a wind block. You can keep your southern cattle they truly are the wimpiest puniest things on earth. It's amzing how angus and herefords can addapt to the south. Yes, they struggle, but they don't croak little southern cattle up north do.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Kept ropin' steers in Illinios for about three years. NEVER again, god forgot to give them hair and resistance to upper respiratory. Below about 15 or 20 degrees they need a wind block. You can keep your southern cattle they truly are the wimpiest puniest things on earth. It's amzing how angus and herefords can addapt to the south. Yes, they struggle, but they don't croak little southern cattle up north do.

GOD didnt forget he gave that chore to man to be a good steward over cattle. and that's the whole problem. there's been enough debate over southern cattle so ill let that last comment slide :hat:

 

[Aero]

i have a heifer that had her ear tips frozen off. is this common in the extremely cold areas?

 

[TK Ranch]

Frozen ears and tails happen when it is realy cold and guys calve out side say Dec- March. Most people calve in calving barns or they are outside with the cows constantly so that as soon as one calves they can put it in a hot box to dry off and warm up. some people will use duck tape and tape the ears back so that they won't freeze after the cow has licked them. Or if you are like me and don't like getting up every hour or so to look for calves in the cold you change your calving dates to May. smaller calves come fall but they have all of there body parts attatched. Buyers dock frozen tails and ears pretty heavy around here

 

[Dana Kopp]

Frosted ear tips are somewhat common, you might also see tails shortened too, bulls testicals may frostbite (are you guys flinching?), we lost a calf in April because she was born on a 25-30 degree day (we don't consider that cold in the winter - that is normal to above normal) and didn't attempt to move, 110 lbs of stupid - She frostbit her hind legs almost to the hock and lost them both, frost bit the edges of her ears, her nose (though it healed normal) and most of her tail - but she didn't make it long after that. We have had calves born that instantly their coats frosted and froze but because they were active they didn't lose anything.

It depends on how cold the temp was (wind chill), what protection they may have had, moisture amount (wet coats). We have lost more "tagged" ears than non-tagged ones, obviously the tag impairs circulation or brings the cold "in" to the ear. When it gets cold we put down a lot of extra hay for feed warmth and also body protection as our main field now doesn't have trees for protection.

Since Brahmas are "warm weather" critters I doubt they'd like our Montana weather but I doubt they'd freeze to death at 30 degrees. If they were dry and had food they probably would just hang out until the sun came up and warmed up their backs!!

 

[Cattle Rack Rancher]

Frozen ears and tails happen when it is realy cold and guys calve out side say Dec- March. Most people calve in calving barns or they are outside with the cows constantly so that as soon as one calves they can put it in a hot box to dry off and warm up. some people will use duck tape and tape the ears back so that they won't freeze after the cow has licked them. Or if you are like me and don't like getting up every hour or so to look for calves in the cold you change your calving dates to May. smaller calves come fall but they have all of there body parts attatched. Buyers dock frozen tails and ears pretty heavy around here

Yup, we calve in April for exactly the same reason. You don't have to have very many calves freeze to death in January to make up for the extra weight you get out of those January calves. -18F isn't really that cold yet. As long as there is not a bad wind. I was out shovelling snow in it last night for about an hour and a half. I haven't even dug out my sweatshirts or my long underwear yet so was just wearing a parka and ski pants over a t-shirt and jeans and still worked up a decent sweat. I guess its all about what you are used to.

 

[Aero]

the heifer was a feb birth at 8000+ ft in Colorado. no shelter, just thousands of acres of flat pasture. not hard to imagine frozen ears :cboy:

 

[TnWI]

The only thing I bring in during the cold snaps, unless the wind chill will be below -50 is the young calves. Otherwise its amazing the amount of cold they can take.

 

[Tom D]

I live in northeastern Texas. The temps in the winter sometimes travel into the single digits (not very cold). Either way, the cows stay out in it. Just make sure they have all the food they need. We have a some heavily wooded areas that the cows will take to in the cold for protection from the wind as well as calve. Speaking of which, those cows sure know how to hide a calf. I've spent hours looking for them only to literally trip over them. The little guys play opossum, but boy do they kick and bawl when you pick em up.

I went to Colorado my freshman year of high school about 6-7 years ago for a school trip. Over a 1000 mile drive on a bus and over 24 hours on the road. NEVER AGAIN! Anyhow, we stayed up in the mountains and skiied. When the temps were in the single digits or teens, I was outside in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. It felt like 40F does in east Texas. Without the humidity, anything above 0 is nothing. I am sure at -30 I'd say otherwise. Then again, I've always preferred the cold over the hot.

 

[jaydill]

Be nice guys. The kid has a valid question...especially if these are show cattle. Those of you whose cattle have "never seen a barn" probably are just raisin em and cullin em. This kid sounds like he's showin.

 

[TxCoUnTrYbOy]

Be nice guys. The kid has a valid question...especially if these are show cattle. Those of you whose cattle have "never seen a barn" probably are just raisin em and cullin em. This kid sounds like he's showin.

Yes, I show them frequently. They are inside the barn every night and usually get put outside about 6am, just before sunrise. They get put up for the night about sunset. If its raining out they stay inside for the day. If the ground is soaked from rain the day before, they stay in. For some reason I cant stand when they run through the grass and kill it all and have a big mud pit. It took a lot of work to get nice green grass out there, Im not letting it go that easily.

When I put them out is when it starts warming up for the day. They probably wouldnt ever be outside in under 25 (dont expect anything that cold this year)