Angus, Charolais, or Commercial Cattle Breeders - Manage Cattle Feed During Winter Storms

Sun 23 Dec, 2012

Angus Cattle Breeders, Charolais Cattle Breeders or Commercial Cattle Breeders, here are some tips to Managing Cattle Feed During Winter Storms

If a spell of brutal winter weather is forcing you to change your cattle feeding strategies, be careful not to upset the nutritional balance of your herd, which can end up causing further problems. Planning ahead and making feed transitions slowly can help avoid troubles and minimize losses.

Most of the time when winter weather sets in, the first strategy is to provide lots of low-quality hay. The cattle can eat their fill and it will stay in their digestive tract longer than higher quality feeds such as grain or better forage. And hay can also protect the animals from the elements.

More calorie-dense feeds have the potential to upset the balance of an animal's digestive system. This can cause problems ranging from acidosis (called heartburn in humans) and coccidiosis (when microbes in the intestines multiply and attack digestive tissue) to personality problems.

Yes, you read that right. Personality problems.

Every herd has animals that are more aggressive or docile than others. The more aggressive animals can eat more than they should and wind up not feeling well. And the more docile animals then don't get enough to eat, which brings a different set of problems. Making sure there's enough space and food for all animals - whether Purebred Angus, Purebred Charolais, or Commericial Cattle - can reduce these secondary effects.

Another area that needs extra attention is the water supply. Keeping it unfrozen can be difficult, but cattle that don't have access to water won't eat as much.

Making sure your herd has the right type and amount of feed and an adequate water supply can be tough, even brutal, during winter storm season, but it can be critical to the health and efficiency of the animals and can have a direct impact on your bottom line.