Wintering cattle in cold climates

[Stickney94]

My cows have access to water in winter (grew up trudging out to open stock ponds with an axe every day) but if there is snow I often see cows binging on that rather than taking the walk to the waterer. It's -10 today with a 25 mph wind -- but the cows all seemed just fine and despite having a barn they were all outside.

 

[SBMF 2015]

The weather man said it will be -26 w/ the wind chill when I start chores in the morning. A group of fifty cows have been eating 2nd cutting hay all day. Tonight they got 4 loader buckets of corn silage, 330lbs of shell corn,and 50lbs of Purina cow balancer supplement.
It looks like this cold is going to stick around for a while. Just trying to keep them in condition. They are mostly BCS 5.5-7. Start calving Feb 15th. Burrrr!

 

[RDFF]

The weather man said it will be -26 w/ the wind chill when I start chores in the morning. A group of fifty cows have been eating 2nd cutting hay all day. Tonight they got 4 loader buckets of corn silage, 330lbs of shell corn,and 50lbs of Purina cow balancer supplement.
It looks like this cold is going to stick around for a while. Just trying to keep them in condition. They are mostly BCS 5.5-7. Start calving Feb 15th. Burrrr!

Well, the good news is... NO MUD!

 

[Dave]

It was about 24 at sunrise but warmed up to 50 in the afternoon. The cows were all stretched out laying in the sun and enjoying it. They should start calving any day now. I hope this weather holds.

 

[Silver]

Closing in on -40 here right now. Looks like it should get there by morning.

 

[Dave]

It was about 24 at sunrise but warmed up to 50 in the afternoon. The cows were all stretched out laying in the sun and enjoying it. They should start calving any day now. I hope this weather holds.

It was nice while it lasted. The weather guessers have it only getting to 40 today and then all next week never getting above freezing. Still not all that bad just in the teens and 20's. I was hoping that the ground hog didn't know a thing about weather.

 

[Rydero]

It was nice while it lasted. The weather guessers have it only getting to 40 today and then all next week never getting above freezing. Still not all that bad just in the teens and 20's. I was hoping that the ground hog didn't know a thing about weather.

Boo hoo, lol. -31F feels like -51F with the wind this morning. Looks like a whole week of similar temps.

 

[Lee VanRoss]

When it comes to maintaining and feeding cattle in the cold I have a serious respect for Canadian cattlemen.
Surely a purebred breeder up there has a bloodline called 'Alberta Clipper'!?

 

[Silver]

I have to admit I waited for it to warm up a bit before I did chores this morning.

 

[Warren Allison]

When it comes to maintaining and feeding cattle in the cold I have a serious respect for Canadian cattlemen.
Surely a purebred breeder up there has a bloodline called 'Alberta Clipper'!?

Amen to that! And for those in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and our other northern border states as well! Down here, where you can do one cow per acre, and graze March- November (unless we have a dry year) , this business is still a LOT of hard work, for little money. I could not imagine going through what those guys , and gals, go through up there. They earn every dollar they get. for sure! They are tougher than their cattle. I wouldn.t last a week up there. 40 degrees is too cold for me to get out if I don't have to so I KNOW I couldn't do 40 below zero!

 

[Ky hills]

My hat is tipped to anybody that lives up in the northern US and Canada and works outside especially tending cattle. When it gets below freezing for highs I think that's pretty miserable. It's supposed to get down in the single digits to around 0 a couple nights next week, not looking forward to that.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

-20f with a windchill of -40 this morning. 30" of snow with drifts 8 foot tall in the last 4 days. Cows get fed in the brush for a wind break and I chop ice on a pond for water. Cows don't look happy but they survive just fine.

 

[Warren Allison]

My hat is tipped to anybody that lives up in the northern US and Canada and works outside especially tending cattle. When it gets below freezing for highs I think that's pretty miserable. It's supposed to get down in the single digits to around 0 a couple nights next week, not looking forward to that.

See, even Kentucky is too far north for me! I could probably take it, but I would be one more unhappy cowboy! I don't think I could survive raising cattle up there where these guys are. I will be the first to say that they are a lot tougher than me. Then again, they probably cringe at the thought if hauling hay all day, digging fence posts and roofing barns in 95 degree weather and 99% humidity, too. But I'd rather do that every day, if I had to, than spend a week helping those fellows. I get hot and I can go sit in the creek, pond or water trough for a few minutes, and be alright for a while. But jumping in the creek wouldn't do me much good if its 40 below!!

 

[Silver]

I can tell you southerners that you must be way tougher than us folks and our cattle up north. There is no way I could survive 95 degree weather, and I doubt my cattle could either. I'll happily put up with some -40 to avoid that weather that is not suitable for man nor beast!

 

[kenny thomas]

I can tell you southerners that you must be way tougher than us folks and our cattle up north. There is no way I could survive 95 degree weather, and I doubt my cattle could either. I'll happily put up with some -40 to avoid that weather that is not suitable for man nor beast!

The 95 temp isn't bad in the south. Its the 110, and the fire ants, deer ticks, mosquitoes, snakes. We have a very few snakes and none of the others.

 

[Silver]

The 95 temp isn't bad in the south. Its the 110, and the fire ants, deer ticks, mosquitoes, snakes. We have a very few snakes and none of the others.

Makes no sense to me how anything could survive that.

 

[kenny thomas]

Our low today has been 33 with a high of 38 and wet snow. We rarely get below 20 or above 90. More likely to see a bear than a snake or mosquito.

 

[kenny thomas]

I'm probably going to Ocala Fl next week with a trailer. Might be nice down south this time of year.

 

[Warren Allison]

The 95 temp isn't bad in the south. Its the 110, and the fire ants, deer ticks, mosquitoes, snakes. We have a very few snakes and none of the others.

And its the humidity!! They tell me in the southwest that 110 doesn't feel as bad, with such low humidity!

 

[kenny thomas]

And its the humidity!! They tell me in the southwest that 110 doesn't feel as bad, with such low humidity!

I have worked in the swamps of Florida and in West Texas also. Hot either place but very different heat. Any sweat in West TX usually dries on you within minutes. It never dries in Florida.