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7.3. Managing the Welfare of Cattle in Winter
Whilst cattle are highly resilient to a wide range of environmental conditions, both extremely hot and cold
conditions can place their welfare in jeopardy. Managers of beef cattle must pay particular attention to the primary
needs of their herd and implement precautionary measures to ensure that their animals remain it and
healthy even under the most extreme circumstances. For beef cattle, several simple processes can ensure that
the majority of weather extremes can be managed with optimal outcomes.
7.3.1. Bedding
Throughout winter, irrespective of the location of feeding, adequate bedding must be provided for the
cattle. A bedding mound constructed with straw provides an
insulating layer on top of the frozen ground that enables cattle to sit or lay down on the mound rather than the
bare ground. In countries such as Russia and Kazakhstan where
bedding mounds barrows are widely used, the combination of daily addition of straw, faeces and urine
by the cattle, enables compost processes to become established and the mound generates heat. This
provides a comfortable and warm under-layer for the cattle to rest on during winter Fig. 7.3.
Similar bedding mounds are utilised in the Canadian and northern USA beef industries Fig. 7.4. A key diference
between the use of bedding mounds in North America, Russia and Kazakhstan is that North American producers
Figure 7.3. Composting bedding mounds in Novosibirsk, Russia. Source: International Agriculture for Development.
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remove the mound at the end of each winter, whereas they are retained for many years in Russia and Kazakhstan,
resulting in large mounds being produced over time. Canadian producers remove the mounds each year due
to perceived concerns related to hygiene and animal health, and utilise the nutrients contained in the bedding
materials as fertiliser for pastures and crops. Long term experience in Russia and Kazakhstan indicates that there
are no signiicant concerns for animals reusing bedding mounds year after year. This is likely due to the efects of
the composting process on potential pathogens. If bedding is not provided, cattle are placed at risk of losing
excessive body heat and require more dietary energy to compensate for this loss and maintain productivity. In
addition, the risk to breeding bulls and cows of frostbite on the scrotum and udder, respectively, is increased.
Bedding may be provided by using straw or poor quality hay at a rate of 1kg per head per day to the bedding
area in the yard. Distribution of the bedding straw can be made simple with a tractor powered bale processor
Fig. 7.5. As the cattle camp on the bedding area, faeces and urine
that are deposited on the mound begin composting the straw, and heat is generated in the mound that further
encourages cattle to camp on the area, and over time a mound is formed that provides highly efective insulation
for the cattle against the cold. In the case of conined feeding in pens or feeding in
the paddock, straw bedding and shelter remain essential requirements.
Figure 7.4. Composting bedding mounds in Canada. Source: International Agriculture for Development.
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7.3.2. Water
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