Taking Care of Livestock and Ranch Animals in the Cold

So far, this winter has been exceptionally mild, with only a few really cold days. But it is only January, so there is a lot of winter left, and nature will undoubtedly throw cold and snow our way.

In the Sheridan area, many people raise cattle for profit and have horses for ranch work or for pleasure riding. Here are some tips for keeping livestock and ranch animals healthy during the cold winter months.

Dr. Sarah Schreiber of Moxey Schreiber Veterinarian Hospital of Sheridan had these tips to keep your livestock and ranch animals healthy during the extreme cold weather. She said that open water is more critical than anything for range horses and cattle.

She added that if you feed them any supplemental feed at all, make sure they are drinking water, “We see so many colics this time of year, because the horses aren’t drinking well, but we continue to feed them. However, when we feed them more, they often can’t get enough water to adequately process the forage they are consuming.”

Keeping the water open in the winter can be a challenge. But there are several different types of tank heaters available to help and keep the ice melted out of the stock tanks. One can also chop the ice to open the water, especially in creeks or stock ponds.

When asked about blanketing horses, Schreiber said, “If they have no way of getting out of the wind, a blanket could be helpful.”

She added that if one does blanket their horse, it is best to have them near where they can be observed if the horse gets hung up or down one can get the blanket off them. Horses are made to withstand these temperatures, as long as they can get out of the wind.

She also said that it was best to let the horses go barefoot in the winter, and snowballs in the feet are more common in shod horses than unshod horses.

For barn cats and ranch dogs they need a place to get out of the wind, any kind of shelter helps during the cold, windy weather. Ranch dogs, if they are used to being inside, make sure they have access to shelter. Some breeds of dogs actually prefer this type of weather, Schreiber said.

As long as they have good food and water and some kind of shelter, they can handle this weather fairly well. Blankets or straw are good to keep them from laying directly on the frozen ground inside their shelter.

She added again to avoid feeding your the horses more during the cold, feed them a little less to avoid colic. She said that most wild horses just wait out storms like this, and when the storm is over, they will catch back up on their food intact.

Range cattle can handle most storms and cold weather well, but unlike horses, they cannot paw through the snow for grass, so extra feed is necessary to keep the cattle in good shape, especially pregnant cows. During the third trimester, make sure the cattle have adequate food and water to make sure they have a healthy calf and keep up their own body condition.

During calving season, the cattle should be watched carefully during a cold spell and bring the newborn calves under some shelter, or in a warming hut, if necessary. Cattle need open water as well during the winter, so chopping ice or using stock tank heaters will help them to stay healthy.

By taking extra precautions, ranch animals will weather the snow, cold and winter storms fine.