Animals can suffer from hypothermia, frostbite and other injuries in the extreme cold. Harsh conditions weaken their immune systems and open the door to illness. Calves and swine are especially susceptible to cold.
Here are some tips from DATCP's Division of Animal Health to keep your livestock safe from the conditions:
- Provide adequate shelter. Wind chill carries body heat away from animals just as it does from humans. Generally, a 20-mph wind is about equal to a 30-degree drop in temperature. Make sure animals have a place to escape the wind, even if it is just a windbreak or a three-sided shelter. Make sure shelters are not located where other buildings deflect wind and snow into the shelter.
- Offer more food. Animals burn extra calories to keep warm in severe cold. If they stay outdoors, they will need more food than usual — and good quality food. As a general rule, nutrient requirements increase about 1% for every degree that the temperature falls below 20 degrees F. Horses' nutrition requirements increase below 45 degrees F.
- Provide fresh water. Fresh water — not frozen streams or snow — should be given daily. Stock tank heaters and frost-proof watering devices will ensure that livestock get enough to drink.
- Offer dry bedding. Plenty of dry bedding will insulate udders and legs from frostbite.
- Keep animals dry. Long hair or fleece insulates only when it is dry. Wet or muddy hair or fleece loses insulating ability and actually cools the animal as it dries, which in turn increases the animal's caloric needs.
- Use caution during transport. Near-freezing temperatures can be fatal to animals in a truck — especially calves and swine — when the wind can whistle in or rain can soak their coats. Cover openings in the vehicle box to cut wind chill and keep rain out, but allow some air to pass over the animals for ventilation. Provide a deep bed of dry straw for calves younger than 4 weeks or for any swine.
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