winter

[renegade]

What do you guys do for cattle maintenance during the winter? Like hair care and nutrition?  I have trouble with mud getting caked on the cattle.

 

[cowz]

We feed the Vitaferm Surechamp Pellets...keeps their hair going nice.  We don't show much until April, but keep a scotch comb going through their hair so that they don't get mudballs.

 

[red]

I try to keep them bedded (?) & dry. My biggest problem is snow blowing into the barn & everything getting too wet. We leave one door open year round for ventilation.
I also have to wash outside, so I just wash/rinse as needed. Still keep the fans on them.

Red

 

[sawboss]

We look forward to winter, a cold spell will drop the temperature to the 30's.  I know most of you are laughing, but this is winter for us.  It is October 3 and our high today will be 93 degrees.  Our county steer show is in March after Fort Worth and Houston and typically 75-85 degrees, so we don't have long to grow hair and get good feed conversion.

 

[red]

It's going to get close to 90 today. I'm ready for fall weather. It's really hard on the heifers since they are starting to put some hair on.

Red

 

[pigguy]

we just contine to feed them a show feed and spray some revieve on them every once in a while. i am thinking about feeding sure champ minerals but i dont know if it would interfer with my ration i am feeding?

 

[farmboy]

i myself look forward to winter becuz thats when the cow pies freeze over lol  )) and the calves are hairy and it will be a nice chill from this drought, but we know in ohio well be saying "wish it was 80 or 90 again"

 

[OH Breeder]

As Red knows, it is sometimes really unbearablely wet and bitterly cold! This past year I built an in door wash rack. In the summer it works as a cool room. I used R30 insulation and buttoned it down tight. I put a Nipco heater in there in the winter so we can keep the calves clean. I keep the calves on wood chips year round. Cows are bedded on straw and I keep them knee deep. Usually we start calving in January which has been VERY unpredictable the past few years.

With weather in the 30's you could wash all the time Sawboss.

 

[renegade]

So you wash in the winter?  We had to bed in large wood chips at the western state fair. I didn't like it it made the bull pretty soar after two weeks. I like shavings better

 

[shortyjock89]

We wash basically all year round to keep the hair nice, since we show basically all year round.  We didn't use to wash until it got above freezing, and our calves had fine hair for summer shows, but it was hard work to get it there. It pays off to wash in the winter if you can.  Also, we use lots of Kleen Sheen (like always), Revive, and Double Dip in the winter. 

 

[renegade]

Do the calves get sick when washed in the winter?

 

[shortyjock89]

We've not actually had a problem with that, but you have to get them inside and blown out ASAP.  At shows like Illinois Beef Expo, it's kinda hard, because it's a long walk from the heated wash barn to the pole barns where we stall.  But just get them blown out fast, and you shouldnt have too much trouble with it.  Also, I forgot to mention that we wash with fungus prevention shampoo every-other time we wash. 

 

[red]

I won't wash if it's below 25 unless I have too. It's also very slippery so you have to be really careful. I've never had them get sick from washing in the cold.
Good idea on the Fungus shampoo Shorty! I also try to use it. I've found that the eZall body wash works really well to prevent ringworm too.

Red