Cattle Corner Monday April 6th

Here in the Northeast we get some pretty crazy weather, especially when the seasons change. This time of year will find temperatures in the 60's to below freezing , all within a 24 hour time frame. Its especially tough in the spring, as our cattle have begun shedding their winter coats in earnest, and some have bare patches where they once had thick coats. The bare patches will fill in with a fine sleek summer coat, but in the interm, they look pretty "rangey" or "ragged". Yesterday was in the 50's, sunny and mild, but last night we had a hard rain, with snow (!!!) expected for tonight. A wind driven cold rain / snow mix is tough on anyone, especially if their first line of defense, their coat, is comprimised. Please make sure your animals are well fed, and can get out of a drenching soaking rain, somewhere dry, and out of the cold wind. You may have seen cattle standing out in the snow, covered with snow, but they are warm, their coats insulating them from the cold (notice how it doesnt melt?) But rain is the worst, seeping down onto their skin. Along with a cold wind, that can really make life miserable for your livestock, even the healthiest ones. We keep our cattle high and dry, with a roof over their head, dry straw to bed down on, walls to block the prevailing winds, open to the morning sun. I have been know to crawl out of bed after watching the 11:00 weather to move my cattle around so everyone can get inside and out of impending bad weather. There is no greater comfort than lying in my warm bed knowing my livestock is warm as well; well fed, dry, out of the wind and comfortable while the weather rages . For this extra effort and caring, we have not needed the vet for any health related incidents since we got our cattle in 2005. They do just fine with a little T.L.C. Its well worth your time!