Winter brings frozen water buckets, mounds of snow, slippery ice and cold temperatures. These conditions can make it a challenging season for you and your animals. Before old man winter starts knocking on your door, take advantage of the remaining fall days to prepare your farm for winter’s chill.
“When winter decides to make its debut, you’ll feel more at ease being prepared to take on whatever challenges it throws at you,” says Julian (Skip) Olson, DVM, technical services manager for Milk Products.
Here are five tips to help you prepare for winter:
1. Stock up on bedding
Make sure you have plenty of bedding available to keep your animals warm and cozy through the winter months. At the very least, you’ll want to ensure you have access to an adequate supply.
“It takes more bedding for an animal to maintain its body temperature in cold weather. If your animals get wet from the bedding, they will be cold and uncomfortable,” says Olson. “To keep bedding dry, you might want to consider adding a layer of sawdust or sand underneath to help absorb moisture. While this will help absorb moisture, you will still have to keep bedding dry – it may require frequent cleaning. Mixing wood shavings and straw can also help while keeping animals dry and clean – which is especially important for young animals.”
2. Keep enough feed on hand
As the weather cools down, animals’ nutrition requirements go up.
“It depends on the species you raise, but a range of 20 to 32 degrees Fahrenheit is the lowest critical temperature livestock can tolerate without additional energy demands to support their normal body temperature. For example, calves less than three weeks old can experience cold stress below 50 degrees Fahrenheit,” says Olson.
For young animals on milk, you can supply them with extra energy by feeding a greater quantity of milk replacer or adding more feedings. Energy supplements are also available to add in milk replacer or whole milk to increase caloric needs during periods of cold weather. If you plan to welcome new animals during winter, you’ll also want to keep a supply of colostrum replacer on hand.
For animals beyond weaning, feeding more grain, hay and forages can provide them with the additional calories they need to thrive.
3. Prepare shelter
The pasture grazing days will soon be over. Having shelter ready for your animals when winter hits, will help minimize stress and ease the transition.
“It’s important for animals to be able to have some shelter or windbreak to get out of the elements during winter,” says Olson. “If you have an enclosed shelter for your animals, make sure it is well-ventilated and in good, working order.”
Take time to look buildings and shelter over and make any necessary repairs – leaky roofs, cracked windows, broken doors, etc.
“You’ll appreciate being able to make the repairs now, rather than later in frigid, winter weather. Your goal is to create an environment for your animals to stay clean, dry and comfortable,” adds Olson.
4. Ensure water access
If you have heated waterers, make sure to turn them on and double check that they still work properly. If you don’t have heated waterers, you can use heated water buckets or water heaters to keep water from freezing.
“Take extra safety precaution when using heating elements or heated water buckets. Both require electrical cords, which are important to keep out of animal’s reach and out of the elements if possible,” says Olson. “Remember to check on any electrical cords you’re using throughout the season.”
5. Get yourself ready
Just as winter can be a difficult season for animals, it can also be a more challenging season for you. Take an inventory of your winter clothing supplies to make sure you have enough warm clothes on hand.
“The more comfortable you are working outside in winter weather, the easier it will be for you to give your animals the proper care they need to thrive and stay healthy,” says Olson.