Winter is rapidly approaching, and with it comes several challenges that beef producers and their cattle must face. Cold temperatures, freezing precipitation and wind are just a few of the climatic conditions that serve as stressors to animals and their caretakers. To help alleviate some of the stress that comes with winter conditions, producers should take stock of and prepare the areas (e.g., lots, paddocks, traps, pastures) where cattle will be wintered and take steps to ensure animals’ required nutrients will be provided in a consistent and efficient manner.
Adverse weather conditions are obvious winter stressors for beef cattle. Less obvious are things such as footing and minor injuries caused by rough ground and foreign objects. Before the ground freezes too hard, beef producers should take time to grade lots down as flat as possible. Lots can be smoothed with a tractor blade or a homemade drag. Eliminating ruts, deep tracks, high spots, low spots, etc., helps prevent sprained ankles, hoof injuries and lameness. These areas should also be cleaned out to reduce mud problems and manure buildup.
Foreign objects such as wire, broken glass, broken posts, boards, tree limbs, jagged rocks, broken concrete, etc., should be removed from lots before they become frozen in the ground or hidden under the snow. As animals are concentrated in wintering areas, there is a greater chance they will step on or come in contact with these foreign objects. These encounters can result in hoof injuries, lameness and other bodily injuries.
Farm/ranch equipment may also pose a problem when housing animals in the winter. As summer work is underway, equipment and implements are often stored in pastures and paddocks near the farmstead or ranch headquarters. As summer winds down and winter approaches, these pieces of equipment may be forgotten or hidden by tall grass and weeds. Often, these are the same pastures and paddocks that animals use during the winter. Cattle might be able to see and avoid the equipment in the summer, but it is unlikely they can see and avoid the equipment when it is under a blanket of snow. Just as was the case with foreign objects, when cattle are confined and concentrated in areas that contain equipment and implements, there is a greater chance cattle may sustain some type of injury.
Footing around feeders and waterers is an issue as well. Mud and other obstacles that hamper cattle movement to and from feed and water can negatively affect cattle performance. Waterers should be working properly before winter arrives and before cattle are placed in the winter feeding areas. During the winter season, waterers should be checked each day. Leaks and overflows should be fixed in a timely fashion to prevent ice sheets from forming on the ground. Cattle can easily slip and fall on ice, resulting in a variety of injuries. Areas around feed troughs and waterers should be leveled and graveled to provide stable footing and keep cattle from getting belly-deep in mud.
It is no secret that beef cattle require the proper balance of water, energy (carbohydrates), protein, vitamins and minerals in their diets to achieve optimal levels of performance. It is often thought that beef cattle can adapt to periods without water or to water restrictions. However, that is not the case. Following only short periods without water, the feed intake of beef cattle can be significantly reduced. Throughout the year, even in winter, beef cattle need to be supplied with a ready, plentiful source of good-quality water to attain the levels of performance that make beef operations profitable.
Of the previously mentioned nutrients, water is the most critical. Water is needed in the body for functions such as temperature regulation, digestion, absorption and utilization of nutrients, elimination of waste and a variety of metabolic functions. Water is the main component of the animal’s body and can constitute 50% to 80% of an animal’s live weight. When nutritionally stressed, beef cattle can lose essentially all their fat and approximately 50% of their body protein and still survive. However, a loss of more than 10% of an animal’s body water can be fatal.
The water requirements and water consumption of beef cattle are influenced by a number of factors including age, weight, type of diet, moisture content of ration, level of intake, pregnancy status, lactation, level of activity, relative humidity and environmental temperature. Water requirements for various classes of beef cattle at various ambient temperatures are presented in Table 1.
It is generally known that as temperatures decrease, an animal’s level of water consumption also decreases. Once temperatures decrease to about 35ºF to 40ºF, water consumption stabilizes.
During cold weather, beef cattle need to consume more feed to meet their increased energy needs. Generally, for every 1 pound of dry matter consumed, beef cattle need to drink about 7 pounds (about 1 gallon) of water to maintain desired levels of intake. Winter months can present unique challenges as animals work to meet their nutrient requirements and producers work to keep nutrients (and water) in front of them.
Much of the attention during the winter months on a beef cattle operation is focused on the feeding of the cow herd. Budgets have shown that feed accounts for more than 50% of a beef operation’s total annual operating expenses. The cost of feed to maintain the cow herd through the winter can reach 70% to 75% of the total annual feed costs. Considering the magnitude of winter feed costs, it is easy to see that advantages exist for producers to develop and maintain plans allowing the cow herd to be fed during the winter in an efficient and effective manner. One such method is to sort cattle into winter feeding groups.
To meet the nutritional requirements of the cow herd and allow for maximum productivity, beef producers should sort their herd into groups that have similar nutrient and management requirements. Minimally, young and lactating cattle should be separated from the main herd to provide them with increased dietary energy that is specific to their stage of life and production. Young cattle have lower resistance to winter weather conditions and are still growing, and lactating cows need additional energy to support milk production. Sorting beef cattle into proper winter feeding groups can reduce battles at the feed troughs, prevent the over- and underfeeding of animals, and ensure that adequate levels of nutrition are provided to all animals in the herd.
In addition to sorting cattle into feeding groups, producers can add to the effectiveness and efficiency of feeding by selecting feeding methods that reduce waste. In a study from the 1970s, feeding hay without a feeder resulted in 45% hay waste. This led to a number of studies that looked at various types of feeders. The type of feeders evaluated over the years have included open rings, sheeted rings, sheeted rings with baskets, cones, trailers and cradles. Hay waste with open ring feeders can be near 20%. When the cones or feeders are sheeted, hay waste can be reduced by half. In 2007, a study compared rolling out round bales, processing round bales and feeding round bales in a sheeted cone feeder. The cone feeder reduced hay waste and decreased the amount of feed required per cow from 5% to 15%. Winter feeding of cattle is expensive and feeding methods that are wasteful should be avoided. Most studies have shown that any form of feeding that restricts cattle from walking, lying or defecating on hay will reduce hay losses and costs.
The way in which beef producers manage the tasks of "housing" and watering and feeding their cattle during the winter will have a significant impact on the productivity and profitability of the herd. Providing areas free of potential pitfalls, providing adequate amounts of water and feed, sorting cows based on their nutritional needs and selecting feeding methods that reduce waste are all steps that can be taken to ensure cow herds' nutrient requirements are being effectively met during the winter.