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conditions. If they arrive outside of this optimum period, additional care and attention will be required to manage
their nutritional and welfare needs Refer Section 7.2 and 7.3.
Over the 6 to 12 months immediately following importation, these cattle need to be given the best
opportunity to adapt to the local environment so that they continue to mature at an appropriate rate, and
become productive members of the producers’ herd. Through this period, the critical requirement is to provide
adequate shelter, and the dietary energy and protein that the animals require to reach full maturity whilst adapting
to the higher energy requirements of cold weather. At the same time, the goal is to have these heifers become
pregnant by 15 months of age and have their irst calf at 24 months.
Experience shows that with good management in the irst 6 to 12 months after arrival, beef cattle imported to
these countries from Australia are fully adapted to the local environment by the second winter period.
7.2. Winter Management Essentials
To ensure that cattle survive and continue to grow and meet production targets through the winter
period in countries with very cold winter conditions, some essential principles need to be understood and
implemented. These include; • Shelter - all cattle need some form of shelter
available to them during winter. Shelter may take many forms including sheds, wind fences, groups of
trees and shelter belts, topography, hay bales, and other structures. The purpose of shelter is to provide
the animals with protection from the extremes of winter, such as very low temperatures below -20
o
C high wind wind chill, and heavy rain.
It is critical to avoid cattle becoming wet through the hair coat to the skin, as the subsequent risk of
freezing temperatures can cause the water on the hide to freeze and fatally compromise their ability to
regulate their body temperature. If cattle do become wet, hypothermia must be prevented by moving the
cattle to shelter e.g. a shed, preferably with a heat source and assisting them to dry completely before
they return outdoors • Water - cattle need a constant source of water
during winter, as most feed consumed during this period has a low moisture content and cattle require
water to enable eicient rumination and digestion to occur. For cattle that are grazing in paddocks
or large coninement areas, snow can be used as a water source. However this requires that the cattle
learn how to use it. Lactating cattle have much higher water requirements and must be provided
with fresh, clean water daily, and snow must never be used as a water source for lactating cattle as
they are unable to consume enough to meet their requirement
• Nutrition - The energy requirements for cattle increase substantially during the cold winter period;
for example for non-pregnant cows, for every 5 degrees Celcius decline in temperature below 0
o
C, the energy requirement increases by approximately
10 data modelled using Cowbytes©, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. Attention must
be paid to meet the daily energy need of cattle of varying classes so that they continue to grow and
meet production targets. Delays and setbacks in animal growth have long term efects on productivity
and are costly to the business
• Bedding - Frostbite is an ever present threat to the body extremities, including ears, udders, feet, and
scrotum. Frostbite can be prevented by a range of actions that include provision of bedding straw
and hay throughout winter. Bedding is an essential requirement for cattle managed outdoors.
Additional frostbite prevention measures include maintaining adequate energy levels in feed, shelter to
prevent wind chill, and ensuring that cattle are kept dry e.g. calves born in winter should be captured
and dried immediately, and placed in a shed for the irst 24 hours with the cow
• Access - irrespective of where cattle are managed during winter, daily access must be maintained
so that the animals can be attended to and their health and welfare monitored and responded to.
This requires good planning prior to winter to select sites where access can be guaranteed. Where cattle
are in coninement, suicient room should be made available to stockpile waste snow that may
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Cold Winter Climates
accumulate on the site and impede access e.g. on roadways and around sheds and buildings
• Worker safety and comfort - extremely cold conditions are not only hazardous to animals, but
also to farm workers. Consequently, precautions are required to maintain equipment in good working
order, provide workers with appropriate cold- weather and safety clothing, and that work sites
such as working areas in yards are located under shelter with radiant heating installed. Moreover,
a daily check-in and check-out process with a nominated supervisor, family member, or other
staf should be standard practice so that worker absence can be responded to quickly
• Feed management and storage - stockpiled hay and silage needs to be vermin proof, and as a
contingency to reduce the risk of loss of haystacks from ire, multiple storage sites should be established
• Animal selection - conditions such as sunburn can severely afect cattle during winter as a result of
relection of ultra-violet light from snow on sunny days, particularly if they are maintained outdoors.
Risks are higher in breeds such as Herefords, but can be managed by selecting cows with pigmentation
on udders, and around the eyes • Feed eiciency - Feed eiciency is a key proit driver
for cattle industries worldwide, and is most important in production systems where a high proportion of the
diet is ‘cut and carried’ to animals, such as conserved forages and grain supplements, that incur costs to
conserve, store and feed out. Selection of cattle that are eicient in feed conversion is therefore a priority.
By virtue of their larger size, large cows require more feed to maintain their productivity than smaller size
cows Fig. 7.2. Consequently, the cost of production tends to be higher for larger cows. An ideal target
for countries with cold climates dependent on ‘cut and carry’ feeding for a large proportion of the year
is a breeding cow with a mature bodyweight in the range 540kg to 630kg.
Figure 7.2. Net energy required for maintenance for non-pregnant and pregnant cows of varying weights and ambient temperatures. Cows with greater bodyweight have larger energy requirements. Source: Data modelled using Cowbytes©,
Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development.
Relationship between Liveweight and Maintenance Energy Requirement for Mature Beef Cows
Net Ener gy f
or Maintenance MJ
Liveweight kg
Non-Pregnant Cows at 0 degrees C 5 Month Pregnant Cows at -15 degrees C
70.0 60.0
50.0 40.0
30.0 20.0
10.0 0.0
540 565
590 615
640 665
690
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Beef Breeder MANUAL
7.3. Managing the Welfare of Cattle in Winter
