Tips to Keep Your Cattle Comfortable

Livestock comfort plays a key role in overall productivity, impacting everything from feed efficiency to stress levels in both and operators. Producers are adopting strategies like temperature management, bedding use, pest control and strategic calving timing to optimize conditions. Experts say that reducing stress leads to healthier animals, improved reproduction rates and better financial returns.

Control the Temp

Just like humans, cattle like to remain at a comfortable temperature, and Mother Nature can often make this difficult. Keeping your animals relaxed depends on the weather and geography of your operation, but there are some general guidelines to keeping everyone cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Use Your Land

The topography of your property and geography of your area can make a huge difference when it comes to your livestock’s comfort.

For example, if you live in an area where wind is a significant factor — particularly during the spring calving season — utilizing natural valleys can help shield them cattle from the wind.

Likewise, some operators let the natural vegetation grow in certain pastures to help stabilize the soil, giving their animals more cover from the elements.

Choose the Right Bedding

Another reason to preserve some vegetation is for bedding. During the winter months, when bedding is crucial, studies — and more importantly, experienced cattle operators — show that you lose less feed, as less food is required to provide the same energy.

“When we put bedding out, [the cattle] run and buck and play,” said Kaleb Kuck, who owns and operates KEY Livestock Development and KEY Ranch along with his wife, Erin.

“It’s an annoying job, but when you see that, it makes you feel good.”

Fuel Your Livestock for Every Season

You are what you eat and the phrase applies to livestock as much as it does to humans. 
The Kucks use bales for both feed as well as wind breaks.

“It makes a huge difference on how much feed they need to stay warm,” said Erin. “In general, we feed 10% more when it’s cold and 10% less when it’s hot.”

Both KEY Ranch and KEY Livestock Development have embraced new products introduced to the market that past generations did not have access to, like feed additives that keep livestock more comfortable.

The Kucks have experimented with additives for cooling as well as new ways to control pests, keeping their animals more comfortable in the scorching summer months on the Nebraska plains.

For dairy producers, keeping an eye on your livestock’s nutrition is paramount to receiving peak milk production. 

Learn From the Land and Livestock

The Kucks also educate themselves by learning from other operators and by attending feed lot tours in their area.

Through collaboration with other livestock producers, they’ve witnessed pest control products in action. If you haven’t attended one of these tours, a nearby university extension office is a great place to start researching new products that can benefit your livestock.

For operators who raise animals organically, there is an expanding market for natural pest control methods. These include subscribing to packages of beneficial insects or introducing stingless wasps or bees. This approach not only keeps cattle comfortable by deterring flies, but also benefits the soil and enhances its overall health. Additionally, the Kucks have incorporated feed additives, including one designed to cool cattle and another heat stress supplement containing cayenne pepper.
“We watch tails in the summer a lot,” said Kaleb. “If they’re still, they’re content.”

Plan for Calving

Any good doctor or veterinarian will tell you that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
While weather can be unpredictable, providing your cows and calves with optimal conditions can help them reach their full potential more quickly.

Products like ear warmers for calves are also available to help operators ensure their livestock stay comfortable during their early days on the property.

“We moved our calving back to when the deer usually have their offspring in late March or so,” said Kaleb.

“We have seen similar weaning weights to operators who calve in January or February.”

Work Harder, Not Smarter

Kaleb and Erin both come from beef cattle-raising backgrounds (in Nebraska and Iowa, respectively) but decided that they would work with nature and not against it, all the while keeping the stress on the cattle (and their handlers) down.

“We have a more disciplined approach to getting rid of cows that aren’t good moms,” said Erin.

“Cows that are problems, their calves are often causing sickness, and the anxious ones seem to make the others anxious. We find we also get more cows pregnant by keeping their stress level down. In our line of work, one or two more alive calves is a significant amount of money.”

“If you’re seeing the same problems year after year, maybe wave the white flag,” added Kaleb.

“It sounds simple, but it’s a huge sacrifice to get rid of an animal. How can we stay operating without killing ourselves labor-wise and work smarter not harder?”

The Kucks, whose operations total 1,600 to 1,800 head of black Angus cattle, also supplement their herd with embryos inserted into the cows and have proven to produce healthy calves.

Along with trying to eliminate the least productive of their herd, this practice enhances the strongest cows and produces more (and better) calves, improving the health of their entire herd.

Identify Issues Before They Escalate

Effective livestock management starts with understanding the health and well-being of your animals. However, diagnosing the correct issue is crucial before investing time and resources. Whether it’s an injury or illness, pinpointing the problem, such as a foot issue versus a leg problem, is essential for determining the right treatment approach.

It may be helpful to bring the animal into a controlled environment, like a chute or sheltered area, to closely observe and assess the issue. Consulting with a veterinarian can also provide valuable insight, especially when the problem is unclear. Though veterinary care may come at a cost, their expertise can ensure you’re following the right course of action.

In the meantime, isolating the affected animal from the rest of the herd and offering extra bedding can help aid in recovery. Treatment solutions may range from basic care, like hoof trimming, to more intensive options, such as sending the animal to a local facility for processing.

With all these factors to keep in mind, comfort for your beef or dairy cattle is not only of the highest importance for your herd, but also for the cattle operator’s comfort — physically, mentally and most importantly — financially.