What Do You Do With Cows During the Winter?

One day at work I was asked what I thought had to be the strangest question ever, “what do you do with cows during the winter?” I was thinking well they stay outside like the rest of the year, duh! But instead I went on and told my coworker about how cows are just fine outside during the winter and explained why they were.

As the weather is getting cooler that means the hair on cattle is getting longer. Cold air makes the hair grow, that’s why those who show cattle will keep their calves in air conditioned barns so the hair grows out and there is something to work with when fitting the calf. Although cattle do get their “winter coat” it is good to still have a barn, trees, or some type of wind break for them to get out of the snow, wind and ice during the winter months. Our cows have a building that they can go into and locked in during the night so if they happen to calve they are out of the weather.During the winter farmers feed their cattle hay and grain to help them still get the right nutrients and grow. Hay is put up during the summer months so it can be fed during the winter when it is hard for the cattle to find grass to eat. The nutrients in the hay and grain helps keep the cow’s body in good condition. Such as body temperature to help keep them warm  and producing milk for their calf to also survive the winter. At GRASS Farm hay is feed everyday. We unroll a bale for our cows every night. What they don’t eat out of the bale it is also good for the cattle to lay on with the snow on the ground.

Unrolling a bale for the cows

When I was asked the question it made think about how under educated people are about agriculture. What do they really think cows do during the winter? Go inside our house’s all winter? People have to be educated about agriculture so they do not ask silly questions like what we do with cows during the winter.