DA Cattle

In case you are curious when you see our crazy girls chilling in the pasture when they have full access to a nice, warm, dry barn…

During winter weather we often look out across a pasture to see cattle covered in a blanket of snow. It can be tempting to take this to mean the cows are cold.
Instead this blanket of snow is serving as a literal blanket. It both helps provide an extra layer of insulation and is showing the cows own winter coat is working well. Snow will show us anywhere the cow is loosing heat. In those places the snow will melt leaving a bare spot. Like the roof of a poorly insulated house showing every rafter as the heat from inside melts the snow.
Wet melting snow or freezing rain is far harder on cattle than cold temperatures and unmelted snow.
As long as cattle have plenty of food and shelter from the wind they will be comfortable in temperatures well below freezing. Cattle, all animals, create heat through digestion. An extra ration of hay will be great help to help keep them warm.