This post was originally published on here
(Editor’s note: Michael Westendorf is a retired professor from Rutgers University’s Department of of Animal Science.)
You might be surprised to see a column from me in The New Jersey Farmer after one year off. I am enjoying retired life and look forward to catching up on things that have been postponed.
I also enjoy extra time to drink coffee in the morning.
The cold weather we experienced in December may not be a harbinger for the coming winter and spring, but it is wise to think ahead. Winter weather can influence an animal’s nutrient requirements.
For example, just like you and I, an animal has a thermal comfort zone. Below this zone animals will have to expend extra energy to regulate body temperature and maintain production.
For cows and horses with dry, heavy winter coats, the lower comfort zone may be near 20 degrees F.
Calves may be as low as 50 degrees, sows between 40 and 50 degrees, sheep with a 2.5-inch fleece 25 to 30 degrees, and about 50 degrees for a freshly shorn adult sheep.
Moisture in the form of rain, snow, or ice will intensify the effects of cold; windy weather will also increase the impact.
When temperatures drop below the comfort zone animals will need extra nutrients just to maintain condition and may also require shelter or other protection from the elements.
Species or breed will also influence response to cold. Using cows for example, Belted Galloways or Scotch Highlanders will tolerate colder temperatures than cows with Zebu influence such as Brahman or Brangus.
Animal productivity also has an influence.
Lactating, growing, finishing, or working animals generate extra body heat that will help maintain body temperature, provided they are well fed.
The upshot is this, when animals don’t receive enough feed in response to cold temperatures, they will use stored reserves of fat, protein, and other nutrients.
Even this late in the season, time spent calculating feed needs and supplies will be of more use than buying whatever is available at the last minute.
Separating animals into different management groups based on life stage and production is a good place to start.
Lactating animals are the single most important group to be fed and require more feeding management.
Calves can receive mother’s milk and commercial starter or grain as they grow.
Replacements and animals raised for market can receive diets higher in grain provided adequate fiber is available. Growing and finishing animals to be marketed for meat should be fed higher amounts of grain.
Bred replacements are still growing and may need extra energy and protein in addition to good forages.
Gestating beef cows, sows, ewes, does, or dry dairy cows, can be maintained on a forage-based diet, provided animals receive adequate energy and protein without over-conditioning.
Gestating animals that are thin or under-conditioned may need increased feeding management prior to giving birth.
Available feed and forage should be inventoried to determine if there are adequate supplies to get through until spring pasture availability, usually April or later.
Keep the feed troughs full. Make sure there is space for all animals to eat.
Not all animals need unlimited access to feed as do higher producing animals. There should always be abundant feed and space enough for all animals to eat.
Make plans to purchase extra feed or forage if needed. There may be forages, particularly hay, available for purchase.
Forages provide fiber for proper rumen fermentation, and energy and protein for growth and performance.
They are essential if cattle, sheep, or goats are to main production (lactating, growing, finishing). Forage testing and balancing diets to meet nutrient requirements is useful, especially when forage quality is poor.
There are commercial laboratories located nearby that can test feedstuffs for nutrient content. Contact your local feed supplier or a Rutgers Cooperative Extension office for assistance.
It is possible to balance poor forage quality by increasing grain feeding in the diet.
However, this could be risky, when fiber levels are too low in the diet, this may result in digestive disorders when feeding ruminant animals. Adequate forage fiber is essential to stimulate proper rumen fermentation and eliminate digestive disorders.
Purchase feed byproducts that have forage replacement value. There are numerous byproducts available that can be substituted in the diet.
Many of these are excellent sources of fiber and very digestible. Here is a list of several byproducts useful as forage substitutes: apple pomace (dehydrated), beet pulp (dehydrated), brewer’s grains, corn cobs, corn stover, cottonseed hulls, distillers grain byproducts, soybean hulls, whole cottonseed, wheat middlings, and wheat straw.
These can all be fed, especially when included as part of a total ration.
Remember to work closely with your local feed supplier or nutritionist, etc.
They will be able to give you guidance on how best to incorporate different feeds in the diet during periods of cold weather.
Water quality and availability are essential for all animals. Waterers need to be clean, and water should be in abundance.
A small waterer for 50 cows is insufficient, at least one large waterer is needed with space for several cows to drink at one time.
When waterers freeze during the winter, animals will not have enough water for maintenance, this will affect growth and production.
Heaters for water tanks or insulated piping to bring water to animals may be useful, and as a last resort in the case of emergency, water can be delivered by hand.
Shelter in the form of windbreaks, forested areas, and barns or huts should be provided.
These will protect animals from wind and direct contact with rain, snow, or ice, and maintain animal comfort and performance.
Freezing and thawing of lots can lead to mud accumulation. Snow, rain, or ice frozen ground will increase mud when the ground thaws.
Animals that spend their winter and spring in the mud can develop a mud coat on their feet and legs that may remain until warmer weather. Some research has shown that the presence of mud will increase an animal’s lower comfort zone temperature and increase feed and nutrient requirements.
There is no easy solution for managing mud. It is generally concentrated near feeding and watering areas where poor drainage, compacted soils and a lack of vegetation lead to erosion.
If animals are loafing or laying down in muddy areas, the nutrients from their manure will contribute to more mud.
If mud is a concern, it may be too late to make changes for the remaining winter months, but here are a few guidelines:
• Animals should not be fed on muddy ground. Feeding and watering areas should be separate from shelter and loafing areas. The use of above above-ground feeders is best.
• Manure and remaining feed should be removed from lots before mud builds up.
• The use of gravel or wood chips on muddy areas or near feeders and waterers may be helpful.
Contact the Natural Resource Conservation Service or your local Rutgers Cooperative Extension office for assistance with longer term solutions.
