The worst of the cold weather might be behind us, but livestock producers are reminded to ensure their animals are properly taken care of during extreme cold spells, similar to the one we've experienced this past week.
Shanyn Silinski, the Coordinator for the National Animal Emergency Working Group, says "First of all it means that they need a lot more feed because you burn up way more calories staying warm than you do getting cool. They'll need almost double the amount of feed if they're outside."
She says some producers have depended on snow to water cattle, but Silinski says the snow this year is not an adequate water source, "This year we don't have very much snow, snow grazing isn't an option at all because the snow that we do have is very dry and for a lot of speicies snow grazing for water isn't exactly the best way for them to get the nutriants, the minerals and the things that we get out of running water, but also the quantities of water that they'll need when it's cold because it takes up too much energy to get that bit of water out of the ice."
Silinski adds that every producer needs to have a plan in place for when weather interferes with normal routine.
Thu, Apr 25, 8:00 AM
Agriculture, Entry-Level, Full-time
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