This time of year can bring both wet and snowy weather conditions. In the winter months, cattle care takes some extra attention. For the most part, cattle naturally adapt to cold temperatures; however keeping them dry and comfortable is top of mind for producers and feedlot managers.
Trey Hart of Wilder Cattle Feeders shares some tips for winter feedlot management. He serves as the general manager of the southwest Idaho feedlot.
Options for bedding
Decisions are made on what kind of bedding to use based on needs, availability and where the bedding will be applied.
“Straw is good for warmth and allows the cattle to hold body heat,” he says. “The lighter cattle lose body heat faster than the bigger cattle. If we’re going to get a real cold front, in the 20s or below, we’re going to go ahead and start bedding with straw and get as much straw out there on the mound as we can. Those calves are going to be warm going into it.”
The feedyard purchases corn stalk bales, wheat straw and wood chips from a local saw mill to keep on hand year-round. When it comes down to it, Hart says use whatever you can use because it’s better than nothing.
“Those medium range kind of wood chips are the best,” he says. “The finer shavings tend to disappear quickly into the mud and the large chips have more potential for breaking off or splintering. We also use cornstalk bales, which were used up first this year. They help the cattle scratch off and keep clean.”
He notes cattle may fall off feed a little when you bed with straw because cattle like the fiber, and when it’s cold, they want to lay down and be warm.
“It’s good to get it done before you start seeing the cold front,” Hart says. “If it’s real muddy, like behind the bunk, we would use wood chips for that kind of application because straw isn’t great in those spots.”
Feeding and nutritional needs
Getting the cattle fed and staying on feed is vital, especially in cold months when their energy requirements are higher.
“We know cattle are going to burn more calories when it’s really cold,” Hart says. “You may adjust your energy in the ration, so you want to up that a little bit to offset the extra calories they’re going to be burning. It’s best to get with your nutritionist to make those decisions.”
Hart says whoever is calling feed needs to be precise every day.
“You want to keep as consistent as a program going as you can, so cattle don’t get too hungry or too full,” he explains.
Cattle behavior
Hart and his crew keep a watchful eye on cattle behavior to determine their comfort level. He drives through and calls feed every morning and each pen is ridden through daily to check on animals.
“If I start noticing a pen starting to fall off feed I’ll go through that mental checklist of if weight is correct or if it is off, are the pens getting pulled heavy or are they getting sick? If you can’t find any of the normal type of reasons they’re falling off feed, it’s probably just because they’re uncomfortable. And anytime it’s super wet, you can just bet that they’re going to be uncomfortable so making sure they are bedded well is important,” he says.
Equipment maintenance and readiness
Keeping equipment ready and in good maintenance is important, especially during inclement weather.
“Your equipment is crucial when it comes time to work,” Hart says. “When you get to that 10-degree weather you don’t want to have to fight frozen equipment, so keep it plugged in overnight. You want to make sure all the moving parts on trucks and equipment is working, so you have to keep it clean. That will ensure a better start to the day too.”
In addition to maintaining heavy equipment like feed trucks and dozers, cattle scales are also vital to feedlots.
“A lot of guys will ship cattle in the morning,” Hart says. “Everything could be cold and frozen, so the crew has to get out there sooner and make sure scales are clean and working properly.”
Making sure cattle are able to move safely and freely through pens and working areas matters year-round.
“We also put salt out because surfaces will get ice over the top,” Hart says. “You don’t want to have cattle slipping and sliding and causing injuries.”
Shifting priorities when weather hits
While most of the time weather incidents are predicted, there have been times when big storms come through and crews have to pivot.
“If we get in a situation with a freak storm or weather that comes through, we’ll start bumping daily priorities around,” Hart explains. “Maybe the maintenance guys were going to do work on the trucks, but instead we’ll prioritize the whole day, and shift our crew over to where we put more hands-on deck for bedding, and we’ll just go to it.”
Hart says to focus on the high traffic areas, especially when you’re in a situation you have to hurry.
“I would take a dozer into a pen and peel all the slop and everything that’s going to be an issue to the back of the pen,” he says. “If it’s not in a pretty mound get it away from the high traffic areas in a pinch, then your guys can come behind bedding as quick as they can.”
When it comes to snow removal, Hart says crews have to prioritize tasks and make adjustments to meet the immediate needs of the cattle.
“Last year we got a big snow with six to eight inches falling overnight,” Hart says. “You do the best you can to blow all the bunks out ahead of the feed truck. You have to get the equipment around, so we’ll have a couple guys in loaders pushing snow out of the way for feed trucks.”
Once cattle are taken care of, Hart says to focus on pens.
“When you’re under the gun you’re just going to start pushing that snow to the back of the pen or to the lowest part for faster drainage once it starts melting,” he says. “When it does start melting, we don’t want it going across the whole pen.”
Your next read: Important Tips for Feeding Cattle in Winter
