O/T: Quiz: How do...

How do cattle stay warm?

Christopher

furry leather coats

They stay warm by eating.

Everything a cow eats causes body warmth but hay is better than grains.

Ever hear or notice cows will cut food intake in hot weather when you are trying to feed them well to increase weight gain. It is because they are over heating.

I probably have this backwards, but dad always said a cow puts her head into the wind and a horse puts the other end into the wind.

Have to disagree with you there, the digestion(fermentation) of grains, or starch for that matter creates more heat than any forage will. I don't remember the numbers now but I know when I was studying dairy rations at MSU we knew the BTUs produced by different feedstuffs, grain blew hay away. Maybe it is listed in the NRC, will have to see if I can find that book.

They also take great care to stand in the sun. At dawn when my wife and I drive to work we always see the neighbor's cows lined up along the fence that is about 500 feet from their feeder just to soak in every bit of sunlight as the sun comes up over the hill.

Hi Chris,

Some how I think this is not a serious question ?

General body heat for either heating or cooling is controlled by the animal controlling blood flow to the ears first, then on to other body parts specific too each breed of animal.

Example:
Rabbits can increase the blood flow to there ears where they can greatly influence the size of the blood vessels for more/less cooling without increasing their heart rate. The reason for the rabbit example is it's very easy too view this change on rabbit ears as the changing blood vessel size is easily seen by the human eye.


T_Bone

I recommend warming cattle in a skillet, an oven, a crock pot, over an open fire, or in a smoker. You can keep them warm over a low heat.

They can be re-warmed in a microwave.

A cow can control how much heat they lose trough their skin by constricting blood flow to their outer regions, A cow in good shape and well fed the snow will not even melt off her back. If the snow does melt she is probably sick.
A cow protected from the wind and well fed and with lots of bedding can withstand -40 or lower with no trouble. Wind is the enemy, not cold.
Just watch out for that methane gas, no smoking zone.

Like any other animal who lives out doors --- eat -- and eat more,

I hate to tell you but that guy doesn't have the foggiest idea how to create a working ration, at least not for cattle, I would suggest he sit down for a few minutes with the latest NRC publication. It is foolish to suggest that a feedstuff with a lower NeL or NeM is going to create more heat in digestion. There is a direct correlation between the Net energy in feed and the BTUs that feed will create while being fermented. High protien feeds(forage) do not create heat in the gut, high starch feeds do.
"This means that a 1000 pound cow will need to eat 20 pounds of hay per day in order to meet the energy needs during periods of cold weather."
What the heck, that is one of the flat out dumbest statements I have ever heard. Now first off is he speaking about 20 pounds of hay on an as fed basis, or 20 pounds of dry matter. On top of that, you do not feed hay to meet the energy requirements of an animal. Hay is a high fiber, high protein low energy feed compared to almost any other feedstuff. And this clown thinks that by feeding 20 pounds of hay you can meet the energy demands of a 1000 pound cow. You do not feed hay to meet eergy requirements, you feeds hay to provide needed fiber and protein and then feed grain to bring the ration up to the energy requirement of that particular animal. Now maybe with some old beefer that isn't bred and isn't lactating, can get by on 20 pounds of hay a day. But it is stupid to think that a cow that is pregnant or in milk could have her energy needs met by 20 pounds a day of hay. I don't care how good the hay is, you might meet her needs for maintenance but there is no way her requirements for growth or lactation will be met.
From the sounds of it the guy that wrote that little article is an Extension agent, he sounds about as knowledgable and usefull as our local dairy agent. Like my grandpa always said, there is a reason they are in the job they are, because if they actually knew what they were talking about most of the time, they would be out in the field doing it themselves. Those that can't farm, can teach the rest of us how we should be doing everything. Now if anyone wants to use actual numbers from the NRC and prove to me that somehow things have changed in how to create a ration for cattle in cold climates, I welcome it, but I have created enough rations for dairy herds up in the UP, that I won't hold my breath on that one.

I've found if you give them a BIG HUG,they feel all warm and toasty inside.

Larger animals stay warmer easier than small animals. They have more weight/size per surface area where they loose heat.
Plus two layers of greasy hair ontop and a layer of fat under the skin.
They do fine if dry and out of the wind.

Lots of interesting answers. I had always been told that the fermentation in the rumen produced lots of heat and the fuller their rumens, the better protected against cold they were. I have observed our goats and sheep "tanking" up on hay going into a very cold night and then laying down outside their shed in the breeze, a breeze which made me want to get inside quickly.

Christopher