Dealing with livestock during the winter

dealing-with-livestock-during-the-winter

Last week, the weather was frightful and several livestock producers were caring for newborn animals.

Old man winter has let up some, however the cold, snowy and icy weather can still cause problem for those with livestock. Thus, making it important that we go over some basic information about caring for livestock during winter months.

It is important that steps are taken to prevent newborn livestock from getting frost bite or freezing to death. The biggest factor that can contribute to frost bite is wind. Thus, it is important that newborn animals are protected from the wind. While protecting them, try to prevent them from lying on snow, ice, or even the cold, frozen ground. That is because while they are lying there, they will be losing much more body heat than if they are resting on dry bedding. 

If you do find yourself having to deal with a cold newborn with frost bite or hyperthermia approaching, take note of the following suggestions. Try to thaw the tissue as quickly as possible since most of the damage from frost bite occurs during thawing. One approach to quickly warm a newborn is by placing it on the floor board of a pickup truck with the heater on high. Another approach is to use a hair dryer. By using the hair dryer, you are both warming the animal and drying it off which is important. If the animal is not wet, but is cold, you can try using a heat lamp. Once you have the animal thawed and in good condition, take special precautions to prevent it from being impacted by the cold again.

Besides worrying about whether or not your new addition is protected from the weather, you should also be worried about whether or not it is receiving colostrum. Colostrum is considered “the first milk” that the newborn should consume after birth. However, it is actually more similar to blood than milk. It helps the newborn maintain and generate the heat it needs. It provides them with immunoglobulin which helps prevent infection. It is important to make sure that your newborn is nursing from its mother within two hours after it is born. If you don’t see it nurse, try to get the animal up and assist it with the nursing process to ensure that it receives colostrum.

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