Danger to your cows from excessive ice...what can you do to help?

[shortyjock89]

We had a heavy-bred cow fall on the ice today, and we thought she broke her leg at first...of course, she also happened to be my sister's best and favorite cow...and my sister wasn't home.  Luckily, the cow got up on her own and is walking around just fine, but we were wondering what we could do to help the cows get some more traction?  I think we may let them out on pasture for the next few days since it will be nice, and we don't have glacial conditions out there like we do up by the barn.  I can deal with snow, and lots of it, but this ice and rain and temps at 20 degrees is just miserable! 

I would greatly appreciate it if everyone with some advice could post for the benefit of those of us who haven't dealt with extreme ice like this in a LONG time.  Thank you! Merry Christmas and God Bless!

 

[Doc]

Justin , you're doing the right thing by putting them back on grass IMO. If you can get it, you could spread sand on the ice around your barn. Good luck.

 

[shortyjock89]

Thanks Mike..we're going to try and find some sand and make them a path to the bale feeder.  The cow that fell does a have a little bit of a limp, but she'll be ok...we were just worried about her since her legs were not in a very comfortable position..and she's due to calve the first part of February.  If we can't find sand, I'm not sure what we'll do, but since it's supposed to warm up considerably in the next week, I think we're going to try to bust up the ice as best we can. 

 

[dori36]

We had a heavy-bred cow fall on the ice today, and we thought she broke her leg at first...of course, she also happened to be my sister's best and favorite cow...and my sister wasn't home.  Luckily, the cow got up on her own and is walking around just fine, but we were wondering what we could do to help the cows get some more traction?  I think we may let them out on pasture for the next few days since it will be nice, and we don't have glacial conditions out there like we do up by the barn.  I can deal with snow, and lots of it, but this ice and rain and temps at 20 degrees is just miserable! 

I would greatly appreciate it if everyone with some advice could post for the benefit of those of us who haven't dealt with extreme ice like this in a LONG time.  Thank you! Merry Christmas and God Bless!

This sure has been a challenging season so far, hasn't it!  Don't know how large an area you need to make safe, but I wonder if large quantities of the pet safe ice thawing products could be a possibility for putting down on the pathways the cattle use to get to the feeders? I think you can buy the stuff in 50 lb bags.  Or, how about salting?  If they have minerals in other feeders, I'm thinking they wouldn't eat too much of it!  Do you also have sheds for them?  You may have to resort to feeding them in the sheds for a short time 'til the ice breaks up and goes away.  Best to you!

 

[kanshow]

We ran into this problem last year..  I can't ever remember it being that bad but the poor cows could hardly walk.  We rolled a big round bale of straw out & that gave them traction plus a place to lay down off the ice.   We did put sand down by the tanks & couple other really slick places.  

ETA:  I agree with Dori about throwing some salt out on some of the worst areas.    What's your temp supposed to be like tomorrow?  If you could get in & scrape it out, that would save a lot when it refreezes.   

 

[Steer Boy 101]

WE had one last year. We left her in for ab out a month and then let her get back to walking slowly. your right its the good  ones who fall and break a leg or do the spilts or get struck by lighting even if they are in a pasture with 5 0r 6 call cows. its the good one.

 

[Cowboy Up]

If you can't find any sand, go out to the road and scoop up some of the gravel bank and use it.  (lol)

 

[shortyjock89]

Thanks guys!  We have an area of probably 75 x 150 that is just a sheet of ice, and it's also where the cows' feeder is.  They can get in a barn, and we supplement them grain, but it would be too much of a mess to lock them in there, plus we've had the ice for two weeks, and today was the first time any of them fell.  It's supposed to be about 50 here tomorrow, so dad's gonna try to get after that ice while I'm washing and clipping.  If we had enough salt, or could even find enough salt, we would be salting it...but the township nor the city uses salt, only the state boys do, and it's pretty expensive to buy it bagged.  We tried to find sand, but everyone that we have found with a pile of it has been no use since it got rained on and there's an inch of ice on top of it, not to mention it's hard as a rock to try and load out.  We have gravel at our house that we would use...but it's ALL frozen.  I HATE ice.  Hopefully things will clear out in the next few days at least a little bit.

 

[ba]

If you would happen or know someone that has a wood burner use col Ashe for traction
or saw dust from a saw mill

 

[CPL]

Justin, this weather is absolutely terrible. How are your power lines and trees? We literally have trees that were once big and broad that now have all the branches off because of the ice weight.The drive is completely covered in very thick ice and there's ice around the cattle pens too. I'll be glad as well when that 50 degree temperature gets here.

 

[rtmcc]

Barn lime also works great for traction.  Most feed supply stores should have it by the bag.

 

[oakbar]

Our local ready mix place has a mix of chloride and sand that they spread on driveways,etc. when it gets icy.  I've had them deliver some of this in the past and used a lawn fertilizer spreader or a 3 point seeder to spread it around the cattle yards  If I get in a pinch, I just use a shovel and spread it that way.  It works well becuase the chloride helps the sand actually melt into the ice.

 

[yousesteers]

I call the local lime truck he comes and spreads lime from the Quarry on all the farm roads or any place else I want him to he will spread it backwards so he gets the traction of the lime also roll out a ale of hay they will lay on it eat part of it and walk on the rest then in the spring just put a match to what is left and the little trail will be gone

 

[kanshow]

We tried to find sand, but everyone that we have found with a pile of it has been no use since it got rained on and there's an inch of ice on top of it, not to mention it's hard as a rock to try and load out.  We have gravel at our house that we would use...but it's ALL frozen.  I HATE ice

That's what we were up against last year too.  I think a couple bags of stock salt would probably go a long way in getting it started. 

 

[ba]

Just got a memory lapse. We have used the bags of loose lick salt

 

[BCCC]

Go to the feed store and pick up a few bags of cattle salt. We can get 50 lbs bags for 8 bucks, or go and take a bale of straw of stalks and unroll it. Last ice storm we had we were needing to send cattle to the salebarn but our scales were all froze up with about 5 inches of ice so we threw some old tractor tires on there on lit them on fire and after about 8 hours of the tires burning all the ice was gone. Good luck

 

[jason]

We got a warm front through today, good news no ice, bad news mud city.

 

[kanshow]

We got a warm front through today, good news no ice, bad news mud city

Isn't that the truth!!  64 right now & very gusty winds.  The ice is gone.. the mud is here in full force. 

 

[ba]

But Santa everyone here new insulated boots that do not leak so that helps

 

[ShowmanQ]

Our ice started to desolve today. I t was in the high 40s with a heavy downpour of rain for about 2 hours. Tommorrow is supposed to be 65ish with rain in the evening....Ice goes away and mud appears...Oh how I love raising cattle in the good old Ohio weather (lol)