How Cold is Too Cold?

[eric]

when it gets (and stays) below 0º for days on end, how do u keep your water lines from freezing? I have my lines buried a couple feet deep, but where they come out of the ground and into the float valves is exposed about 2 ft tall. I just wrapped them in a foam insulator cover and old towels and i am hoping for the best right now. We hit below freezing last night for the first time this yr (was 70º last weekend) and I checked the pipes after work and nothing broke! How do u guys keep your lines from freezing?

And yes, give me 115º over -30º any day of the year. I can work in shorts and t-shirt, but I also hate to wear thick gloves and jackets and insulated coveralls and heated socks. That is unless I am hunting! I guess it's just what you're used to.

 

[jersey lilly]

Out in west texas there was a rather well to do family that their kids had show steers. They had a climate controlled barn that was kept at 55 degrees year around. They had brangus cattle. Made their hair thicker and softer than anything you've ever felt. they won consistantly, all over, from ft worth to houston. That's been several years back, i dont remember their names. But the point being...55 degrees isn't cold. But cattle do better at that temp than any other. 0 stress level, not too cold, not too hot.

 

[cypressfarms]

when it gets (and stays) below 0º for days on end, how do u keep your water lines from freezing?

Man, I'm glad I live in Louisiana. I don't see how people up in northern states and Canada do it. It may be hot as hell here in the summer, but if it gets below freezing more than a few times we call it a cold winter. I'm mad now because it's getting down to 29degrees F tonight, so all of my bermuda will be dead.

 

[ctlbaron]

I don't see how you raise anything but penguins at -50 degrees. I'll stay right here in Tennessee and take the 30 days out of the whole winter that I can't feed and work in shirt sleeves.

 

[jcarkie]

they are lot hardier than you think. if they are left outside they will do fine, if you bring them in it is harder to adjust, God made them able to survive we made them less able to survive. like they said if they can get out of the wind they are fine.brahma cattle are adaptable to the cold, zero and below for any length of time, i feel sorry for any animal. they put blankets on horses to keep the winter hair off for shows and competions.

 

[TnWI]

I don't see how you raise anything but penguins at -50 degrees. I'll stay right here in Tennessee and take the 30 days out of the whole winter that I can't feed and work in shirt sleeves.

Out of the 2-3 weeks it gets that cold, Wisconsin pays you back with 9 months of incredible weather and great grazing. (unless we have a extremely dry summer)

Although I will admit I am looking to relocate to a warmer spot -- I have the spirit to try making it through the cold winters, however the body (which is now paying dearly for my youth) has forewarned that I need to think about warmer climates. I need to move to someplace like Wisconsin, without the extreme cold. Any ideas?

 

[TK Ranch]

if you have powere out to your water lines there is product called Heat Tape it looks like a flat extention cord you just tape oit to your water line and plug it in. it works on metal and plastis pipe. our water lines are 8 feet in the ground and 10 feet deep if they constantly get driven on this keeps them from freezing.

 

[bward]

I've heard it said that we have 9 months of winter and 3 months of bad sledding.

You guys down south have it made as far as temperature goes.. but then its a tradeoff for hurricaines, tornadoes, snakes and rats and blistering heat. I am getting to the age where what you have is actually sounding preferable. Bitter cold makes me pretty ugly to be around, and it gets worse every year. I can't imagine that I enjoyed playing in the snow as a youngster but I did!

 

[CattleAnnie]

Just wanted to insert a note here. Realised that you folks seem to be talking Farenheit temps, but my temps I had listed were Celcius.

On the plus side, it's chinooking right now (8 C although we were getting gusts of 70 km/hr - managed to knock a dead poplar onto one of the old tractors...easy firewood), so no complaining about the weather here!

Take care.

 

[TK Ranch]

bward you guys must be getting soft in your old age!!!! So much oil out there I figured that heating houses this winter would be free, paid for by Uncle Ralfy. Or is that just a rumour

 

[Cattle Rack Rancher]

when it gets (and stays) below 0º for days on end, how do u keep your water lines from freezing? I have my lines buried a couple feet deep, but where they come out of the ground and into the float valves is exposed about 2 ft tall. I just wrapped them in a foam insulator cover and old towels and i am hoping for the best right now. We hit below freezing last night for the first time this yr (was 70º last weekend) and I checked the pipes after work and nothing broke! How do u guys keep your lines from freezing?

And yes, give me 115º over -30º any day of the year. I can work in shorts and t-shirt, but I also hate to wear thick gloves and jackets and insulated coveralls and heated socks. That is unless I am hunting! I guess it's just what you're used to.

I don't have any water lines except the septic and that gets covered up with flax straw. When it gets cold, I put a heat lamp in the shallow well to keep it from freezing and a heater in the trough, That's just for the bull, though. Until there is snow, I go chop a hole in the ice on the dugout with an axe. Fortunately this year we already have over a foot of snow so the cows can eat that. Its not hard on them as long as the calves have been weaned. Guess I'd better get those calves weaned next week.

 

[msscamp]

when it gets (and stays) below 0º for days on end, how do u keep your water lines from freezing?

Here in Wyoming, all water lines are buried beneath the frost line (somewhere around 4-6'). We have never had the stock tank inlets freeze, but we have gotten about 4-6" of ice on the water surface during the dead of winter more than once.

 

[docgraybull]

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.

One of the smartest things I've read on these Cattle Today Q&A Boards.

 

[frenchie]

when it gets (and stays) below 0º for days on end, how do u keep your water lines from freezing?

Here in Wyoming, all water lines are buried beneath the frost line (somewhere around 4-6'). .

We have to go at least 8 ft here. More if there is traffic above the line.

 

[dun]

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.

One of the smartest things I've read on these Cattle Today Q&A Boards.

The time of year for calving has more to do with other aspects of management then just the comfort during calving season. Whne is the optimum grass available in the area, what temps are usually experienced during the breeding season, when/how the calves are marketed, is there some other activity that is going on during a later calving season i.e. planting/haying/etc.

dun

 

[TK Ranch]

dun

I agree with your post it makes perfect sense but around here if you decide to calve out Dec to March and can't be home 24/7 when the cows are calving you have a good chance of having a whole bunch of calfsicles. Nomatter what the maket is like you won't get squat for a dead frozen calf

TK

 

[Wilson_Cattle_Company]

I can stand it when its 40 sunny with a light light wind in a tee shirt. If it gets around 30 I am in a tee shirt with a sweat shirt. Much colder than that and I am in a jacket.

 

[dun]

dun

I agree with your post it makes perfect sense but around here if you decide to calve out Dec to March and can't be home 24/7 when the cows are calving you have a good chance of having a whole bunch of calfsicles. Nomatter what the maket is like you won't get squat for a dead frozen calf

TK

TRhat's part of the deal of the local conditions coming into play. We calve from mid Feb through March. Weather is too unpredictable before that, and it's still rather unpredictable sometimes even then. Calves are a lot tougher then they're given credit for, but I think some of that has to do with the genetics. One bull we used, all of his calves were up and looking for groceries within 2-3 minutes of birth, that was the darndest bunch of vigourous calves I've ever seen. Last year we had a cow twin and they slild under the fence and down a hill where the cow couldn;t reach them. From the noise she was making we figured they were born around 3-4 am. At 7 when I found them, one was frozen to the ground and the oither one was trying to stand. I put the unfrozen one with the cow and it started to nurse, the other one we took in and stuck in a tub of warm water until it's joints would bend. Tubed it then bottle raised it and sold it as a bottle calf. She shows no signs of any problems. It was 15 degrees the night they were born and it took around 3 hours efore she thawed enough to be able to bend her joints.

dun

 

[Australian Cattleman]

Our Brahmans manage quite well in the cold at our place. Cattle never need barns here in Australia. Our Brahmans don't mind temperatures down to minus 15C and top temps of 5 or 6 C. Occasionally they might get a bit cold if they are born during the night. As long as they have protection from the wind.

Colin

 

[mitchwi]

How often do I drive by cattle in a pasture/field with the rain or snow coming down and wind howling, and I see them bunched together with their butts in the wind.... and an empty shed they don't care to be in!