Farm Management

Written by Shelley Hatfield/Whippoorwill Pines Farm

I’m going to talk about 6 things needed to help your cows get through the winter.  I’m sure that there are more than 6 things but these are what I think are most important.  The first thing that you need is fresh water!!  Where you are in the United States will determine how hard this will be over the winter.  Some places are warm enough that they just have to make sure it stays full.  But in some places it almost freezes before you get back to the house.  But fresh water is so important in the health of your cows.  It has been said that cows need 1 to 2 gallons of water per 100pd of body weight.  I know some think that maybe they can lick the snow or lick the ice.  But licking the ice would take so much time to get what they need.  It would also take up body energy that they need to keep warm. Cows that don’t have enough water supply can get dehydrated and are susceptible to colic and other issues.  It is just best to keep fresh water out to them daily.  

Not having water can hinder so many areas in a cow.  Whether in summer or winter, water is so important to the health of your cow.  People usually think about water problems for the summer time, but making sure they have water is also very important for winter.  It affects their digestive system.  It keeps their body temp regulated.  It affects milk production.  Water or lack of it can affect the overall health of your herd.  

There are a couple of different tank heaters that you can use.  One is a floating one that has a cage around it.  I used those for several years, but ran into problems with them.  My cows would get bored and chew on the cord as it hung over the tank.  I used a pvc pipe to try to help.  It worked as long as they left it alone.  There is also a tank heater that goes in the drain hole at the bottom.  This is the one that I’m using now.  I can run the cord out the bottom and around so they can’t reach it.  I will warn you that tank heaters can run up your electricity.  But unless you have waterers run to your pastures, it is tank heaters or break the ice!!  I’ve tried all the tricks that people have come up with and I haven’t found any that work for me.  

Whatever method you decide, tank heaters or breaking ice all day, lets just make sure that we are keeping fresh water to our herds this winter!!