by: Alfredo DiCostanzo, Nebraska Extension Educator
As another winter sets in, cattle producers are reviewing strategies to manage yards during impending cold and wet conditions. Although one could write volumes regarding how cattle cope with cold temperatures, suffice it to say that keeping cattle as dry and comfortable as possible is key. The following scenarios are outlined here with suggestions on how to best manage yards when winter conditions threaten to reduce performance and affect health.
Precipitation with intermittent dry spells.
Other than a dry winter, this may be the next easiest scenario to manage; the operator has two choices: 1) proactively bed if they expect that a cold spell will follow or that the 10-day forecast calls for additional precipitation or 2) do nothing.
Generally, manure is permitted to accumulate during dry spells; yet, during precipitation events, dry manure in high traffic areas will rapidly absorb moisture. This will lead to rapid accumulation of muck on concrete surfaces (feed and water troughs, aprons and cattle alleys) resulting in difficult situations for cattle, horses, humans and machinery to get around the pen. Therefore, some operators and many cattle feedlot consultants recommend removal of dry manure shortly before precipitation is expected. This action needs not be confined to concrete surfaces. The base of yard mounds or other sloping areas of the pen may also be scraped to remove dry manure.
What might one do with manure that is scraped? Although there is a temptation to haul it away and apply it to fields before the precipitation event, some might consider keeping and piling manure into 2- to 4-foot-high mounds (32 square feet per head is ideal) onto loafing areas (concrete or dirt; away from feed and water troughs). These mounds will serve as high and “dry” areas for cattle to get away from rapidly forming muck and away from traffic patterns in the pen.
Once prepared, these manure mounds can also serve as the base where dry bedding is applied.
Precipitation followed by extended cold or additional precipitation periods.
This scenario is expected to occur when at the start of winter. In the High Plains, deep winter freeze occurs after one or several heavy precipitation events followed by extreme cold temperatures. Thawing from cold temperatures is generally not expected until January, briefly followed by continued cold temperatures, high humidity and precipitation events in February and March.
These are the conditions that set up cattle (and cattle feeders) for performance below expectations and worse than break even closeouts.
When facilities managers consider using bedding on dirt or concrete, they generally refer to these conditions as the trigger for bedding cattle. This is when investing in bedding and managing bed packs makes sense.
How much bedding might be needed to establish the base of a pack?
The initial need to bed a given area surprises most operators. This is because a base must rise at least 1 foot above the existing surface (bare concrete or manure mound). This requires a minimum of 12 to 14 lb per head for the initial application; double this estimate if pen conditions are already deteriorating because of rain or snow. This is equivalent to 2 large round corn stalk bales for a 250-head pen (or 4 large round bales if it began to rain or snow).
Should the bedding be processed?
For most applications where high traffic will occur (pens stocked heavier, concrete-surfaced pens, cattle nearing finishing weights, and, most importantly, unsurfaced pens), the answer is no. This is because processed bedding will incorporate itself (disappear) into the existing surface by hoof action.
Two key elements of building bed packs, even outdoors, are 1) to continue to keep the areas around the pack free of mud accumulation (it prevents cattle from tracking it onto the pack) and 2) to continue to add bedding to keep it dry.
Scraping around bed packs prevents manure from freezing onto large balls that prevent cattle access to the pack or to water and feed troughs. Adding bedding after scraping can be done with a bale processor or grinder if the base pack is built sufficiently or in pens where there is ample space or lightweight cattle. As a reference (for bedding inventory), prorated over a long period, one might expect to use 4 lb of bedding daily per head.
How often are operators expected to scrape and/or bed?
During most winters when cold spells set in, scraping should occur at least once weekly. Bedding should take place immediately after scraping.
If scraping stops during subzero temperatures, it cannot be resumed until at least 4 to 7 days of temperatures above freezing. This can create difficult conditions for cattle to get around. When scraping frozen chunks of manure, these can be added to the bed pack before adding dry bedding.
What to do if heavy snowfall is expected? Generally, scraping aprons and high traffic areas is recommended in anticipation of heavy snowfall (more than 3 inches) and immediately after it. Snow should be removed from pens as soon as possible after scraping (permitting freshly fallen snow or snow mounds to accumulate in the pen will contribute to ice formation creating slippery surfaces and exacerbating muddy conditions when snow melts). Bedding before the snow event is recommended. Bedding after scraping immediately after the snow event is highly recommended.
Clearing snow from the perimetry of water troughs should occur as soon after a snowfall as possible. Because of curbs and narrow pads surrounding water troughs, hand labor may be required for this effort.
Managing cattle in the yards for cattle comfort, like choosing how much to feed daily, is more of an art than science.
*Author’s note: The suggestions outlined herein are derived from personal experience and conversations with cattle feeders and feedlot consultants. Appreciation is extended to them for their valuable input.
