How do cattle survive a polar vortex?

[Dave]

The main thing is to have a plan.
Windbreaks, emergency bedding, extra feed and water sources with insulated water pipes.
Warm clothes, dress in layers and Good Boots. Be aware of hypothermia. If you or others start to shiver, "lack energy, start to mumble or become clumsy", get them indoors to warm up. Plan on taking a couple of breaks just to warm up.

"
lack of energy, mumbles, clumsy "
I might have hypothermia :lol2:

Me too. I better go sit in my recliner by the wood stove. Why risk it? :cboy:

 

[CattleMan1920]

Chicago is supposedly going to be colder than Antartica. If anyone's cattle can hold up to that, my hat's off, you are definitely doing something right in your herd, nutrition wise.

 

[Till-Hill]

Chicago is supposedly going to be colder than Antartica. If anyone's cattle can hold up to that, my hat's off, you are definitely doing something right in your herd, nutrition wise.

Little extra feed, check water and repeat till it breaks. Nothing else a guy can do. We are not even going to attempt to start tractors tomorrow. -55 with windchill. Double fed dairy cows today. Pray Thursday is warmer!

 

[CattleMan1920]

I am probably a nut, but I love cattle, and when I see them endure this, they get even more of my respect, no matter what breed it may be. The other night when it hit 0 here in Kentucky, and the windchill was about -5 or so, and the wind was howling, I looked out the window and saw 15 mommas that were near the house laying down with their head into the wind, looking like they were totally relaxed, as if it was nothing, and they were soaked just hours before with heavy rain!

 

[CattleMan1920]

Elkhorn Ranch North Dakota, established by Teddy Roosevelt in 1884.
Winter of 1886-87 was one of the harshest on record in the last 200 years. 60% of Roosevelt's herd died that winter.
He quit ranching in the spring of 1887 due to what came to be called the starvation winter of '87.
As with most animal populations in extreme conditions 1/3 survive and go on to replenish the population or migrate
to areas with better living conditions.

Very interesting, you prompted me to read more into this. Thanks for the info.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

-26 actual temp here the last two morning with wind chills down to -40 or more and calling for 2+ feet of snow by tomorrow (added to the 14" from the weekend, and 80+" since winter began). Cows were fed deep in the brush to block the wind, tossed a few extra bales out for bedding and made sure they had water, not much else to do. They all seem to suffer thru just fine. All mine are spring calvers so don't have to worry about that. I have had bulls turn up infertile with frostbite down there after a bad cold stretch.

 

[Aaron]

Went from -52 this morning to -46 right now. Tractor coolant heater been plugged in for 24 hours. Won't start. Got the buzz box given' her 225 amps to make her a little frisky, but she barely wants to roll around. I don't think even giving her a whiff of alcohol will get her to going. Wind is just howling at about 40 miles/hr. -61 in Grand Forks, ND right now.

 

[ez14.]

Went from -52 this morning to -46 right now. Tractor coolant heater been plugged in for 24 hours. Won't start. Got the buzz box given' her 225 amps to make her a little frisky, but she barely wants to roll around. I don't think even giving her a whiff of alcohol will get her to going. Wind is just howling at about 40 miles/hr. -61 in Grand Forks, ND right now.

got a torpedo heater?

 

[Aaron]

Went from -52 this morning to -46 right now. Tractor coolant heater been plugged in for 24 hours. Won't start. Got the buzz box given' her 225 amps to make her a little frisky, but she barely wants to roll around. I don't think even giving her a whiff of alcohol will get her to going. Wind is just howling at about 40 miles/hr. -61 in Grand Forks, ND right now.

got a torpedo heater?

No. Tractor is outside near building, so getting any heat to stay outside of the block is futile. People say windchill doesn't affect machinery, I say BS. I have no problem starting at -30 without wind. But with this wind, everything is DOA. I don't need to use it today, but I definitely will need it tomorrow.

 

[Redgully]

Went from -52 this morning to -46 right now. Tractor coolant heater been plugged in for 24 hours. Won't start. Got the buzz box given' her 225 amps to make her a little frisky, but she barely wants to roll around. I don't think even giving her a whiff of alcohol will get her to going. Wind is just howling at about 40 miles/hr. -61 in Grand Forks, ND right now.

got a torpedo heater?

No. Tractor is outside near building, so getting any heat to stay outside of the block is futile. People say windchill doesn't affect machinery, I say BS. I have no problem starting at -30 without wind. But with this wind, everything is DOA. I don't need to use it today, but I definitely will need it tomorrow.

Use a heat torch and as you're cranking stick it in your air intake as close to the engine as you can easily get to, this usually gets them going.

 

[Son of Butch]

It's not global warming... and not climate change... but this year is wild and woolly extremes.
January 5th they were talking we had a chance to set a new high for January in Minnesota.
Today, 24 days later, weatherman is talking we have a chance to set a new record low which has stood since 1887.

 

[CattleMan1920]

Don't ever mention "climate change" or "global warming" in my neck of the woods, that's like talking about voodoo and supernatural occurrences, it's complete nonsense to many farmers I speak with. Funny thing however, their hay and crops have been a disaster for 3 years or more now. They keep on getting the p.ss beat out of them, but it must be something else, anything else but the climate.

It's interesting to hear them theorize on the horrible weather. One farmer told me in December that he feared really dry weather was on its way, we had almost 5 inches of rain in January, LOL!

A year or so ago our whole town was underwater, 9 inches of rain in under an hour, cars were washing away down the town branch. This had never occurred before, but people just shrugged it off.

 

[Bright Raven]

Don't ever mention "climate change" or "global warming" in my neck of the woods, that's like talking about voodoo and supernatural occurrences, it's complete nonsense to many farmers I speak with. Funny thing however, their hay and crops have been a disaster for 3 years or more now. They keep on getting the p.ss beat out of them, but it must be something else, anything else but the climate.

It's interesting to hear them theorize on the horrible weather. One farmer told me in December that he feared really dry weather was on its way, we had almost 5 inches of rain in January, LOL!

A year or so ago our whole town was underwater, 9 inches of rain in under an hour, cars were washing away down the town branch. This had never occurred before, but people just shrugged it off.

The patterns are changing and there is a "library of data" suggesting the climate is trending to warmer.

The debate lies in what is causing it. Everything has some influence. If I burn a brush pile there is a measurable influence. But in terms of the Geological History of the earth, this is but a grain of sand on the beach.

Should mankind be concerned - yes. Should I be concerned - No.

 

[Son of Butch]

The patterns are changing and there is a "library of data" suggesting the climate is trending to warmer.

The debate lies in what is causing it. Everything has some influence. If I burn a brush pile there is a measurable influence. But in terms of the Geological History of the earth, this is but a grain of sand on the beach.

Should mankind be concerned - yes. Should I be concerned - No.

To me thinking the government 'burning a pile of money' will come up with a solution with a positive outcome is even scarier.

Neither wind nor rain..... just came on the 5 o'clock news U.S. Post Offices will be closed tomorrow in Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin due to cold weather.

 

[Till-Hill]

The patterns are changing and there is a "library of data" suggesting the climate is trending to warmer.

The debate lies in what is causing it. Everything has some influence. If I burn a brush pile there is a measurable influence. But in terms of the Geological History of the earth, this is but a grain of sand on the beach.

Should mankind be concerned - yes. Should I be concerned - No.

To me thinking the government 'burning a pile of money' will come up with a solution with a positive outcome is even scarier.

Neither wind nor rain..... just came on the 5 o'clock news U.S. Post Offices will be closed tomorrow in Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin due to cold weather.

Iowa also, but no fear dairy farmers will get the cows milked, the calves fed and will be business as usual!

 

[CattleMan1920]

The patterns are changing and there is a "library of data" suggesting the climate is trending to warmer.

The debate lies in what is causing it. Everything has some influence. If I burn a brush pile there is a measurable influence. But in terms of the Geological History of the earth, this is but a grain of sand on the beach.

Should mankind be concerned - yes. Should I be concerned - No.

To me thinking the government 'burning a pile of money' will come up with a solution with a positive outcome is even scarier.

Neither wind nor rain..... just came on the 5 o'clock news U.S. Post Offices will be closed tomorrow in Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin due to cold weather.

Iowa also, but no fear dairy farmers will get the cows milked, the calves fed and will be business as usual!
[/quote

The problem with what's going on with the climate is that if you are poor you are 's.o.l"

Take the subject of hay, around here if you can't bale it as high moisture and wrap it, then you will most likely have lousy hay. Some people pull it off, but a lot lose hay to rain, or not being able to find a suitable window to bale. If you have $$$ you can buy all the equipment you need to make the weather a non issue, if not you have a hard road ahead.

Same with cattle, if you have extremely hot weather, droughts, and you have $$$ then you can install more waterers, buy equipment like Shade Haven etc, you will do fine, if you don't have this, then it's going to be tougher and tougher.

I may make people mad when I say this, but I think this is just the beginning of weather extremes.

 

[JMJ Farms]

The patterns are changing and there is a "library of data" suggesting the climate is trending to warmer.

The debate lies in what is causing it.

We are still thawing out from the last Ice Age.

 

[Bright Raven]

The patterns are changing and there is a "library of data" suggesting the climate is trending to warmer.

The debate lies in what is causing it.

We are still thawing out from the last Ice Age.

I have an undergraduate major in Geology. Technically, you are not far off. The Geological period we are in is called the Quaternary. It is a period of glacial and interglacial phases. Hence, why it is difficult to define what is causing the current accelerated period of glacial melt.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Same reason the cities are warmer than the country. Humans are cancer to the earth, but we're at the top of the chain and screw the rest. My prediction is humans will destroy the earth before we need to worry about global warming or another ice age.

 

[Bright Raven]

Same reason the cities are warmer than the country. Humans are cancer to the earth, but we're at the top of the chain and screw the rest. My prediction is humans will destroy the earth before we need to worry about global warming or another ice age.

That is a good argument. My Invertebrate Paleontology professor said the Universe has no conscience. It doesn't care whether humans or viruses rule the earth.