Preparing Your Cows for Winter

Reader Contribution by Steve Judge
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Winter in the hills of old Vermont is serious business for me and my cows. In years past I have seen the thermometer drop to 47 degrees below zero with four feet of snow on the flat. As it always seems to happen, my day job at Bob-White Systems demands most of my time and seems to leave me with less and less time for the farm, especially during the winter. In the winter, it likely will take you an extra hour per day to do chores in the winter than it does during the summer. I recommend being prepared and to work as efficiently as possible.

Cows Can Enjoy Winter. My cows don’t seem to mind the coming of winter nearly as much as I do, as long as they can rely on me to keep their feed fresh and their barn clean. Cows are fairly simple creatures and, as long as they are comfortable and well fed, they don’t mind staying inside for several days in a row. My cows don’t like to go out in a cold rain nor do they like to be out for very long when there is snow on the ground because they don’t like to lay down in the cold white stuff. Most cows would prefer to be inside on their mattresses enjoying their feed or chewing their cuds. And they prefer to be left alone so they can eat sleep and make milk. My cows only like to see me twice a day when I milk and feed them.

Trim a Cow’s Tail Switch. One thing I do to prepare my cows for winter is to trim their tail switches.When the cows lay down in the barn, the “gutter” is right behind them. If their tails drop into the manure their switches absorb the manure like a sponge. There is nothing worse than getting hit in the face by a manure soaked tail when milking first thing on a cold morning. Their tails stay relatively dry and harmless as long as you keep them well trimmed. When spring rolls around let their switches grow back out so they can once again be efficient fly swatters when the cows return to their pastures.

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