The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Cold weather not a big threat for dairy cows
By Edward Freundl, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: February 28, 2008
The temperature drops to single digits, the wind is howling and the snow is blowing.
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In those conditions a human can freeze to death in a matter of minutes unless well protected by layers and layers of clothing.
Even with their full-length leather coats, you'd think cows also would be affected by the weather, producing soft-serve ice cream instead of milk.
Not so, says Denny Huehl of Huehl Acres, a dairy farm on Fletcher Road in Freedom Township.
Along with growing hundreds of acres of crops, Denny and his brother Jerry Huehl have about 80 milking cows, another 40 heifers and perhaps a dozen calves at any one time.
"Give them someplace out of the wind and someplace dry to lay down, and they're fine," Denny said. "They can deal with the cold; it's the wind chill that affects them.
"Even the calves in their hutches — if you crawl inside there, it's not too bad."
Cows are remarkable heat producers, according to Huehl, because their multiple stomachs are constantly breaking down the fodder they eat.
"About 50 degrees is the ideal air temperature for a cow; that's when they're the most comfortable," Denny said. "Their guts are so full of bacteria (for digestion) they're making a lot of heat inside.
"They can handle the cold better than we can."
That doesn't mean the Huehls can just ignore them; cows are still susceptible to a number of cold-weather maladies.
"We see more frostbitten teat ends than usual," Denny said.
"We use something called Frost Guard on the tips to keep them soft."
The substance is very much like a skin lotion, Huehl explained.
"It leaves a film on there so their skin isn't quite so exposed, and it keeps them from getting chapped," he said.
A supply of fresh water can also be a problem in the winter.
"We always have issues with the water fountains," Huehl noted. "Most of them have heaters but that cold gets in every crack and crevice you can imagine.
"We also use a fair amount of salt to keep the doors open and keep the concrete clear so they don't slip and fall," he added.
Scheduling to add more heads to their herd is another thing the Huehls have to keep in mind.
A cow's gestational period is nine months, the same as a human.
"We're trying to get the young ones bred last month and this month so they'll have their calves before it gets really cold next year," Denny said.
"If they calve when it's too cold, they get such edema (swelling) and poor circulation in their udder. They are the hardest to handle."
Another thing the Huehls do to keep their cash cows comfy in the cold is to change the straw bedding in the barns more frequently.
"We don't necessarily give them more, but we probably bed more often just for the damp weather," Jerry Huehl said.
Cows are enormous animals, after all, and their exhaled breath contains a lot of moisture, he pointed out.
To help with air circulation, the Huehls modified the roofs of the barns to add a slot that runs the length of roof to release the warm air that gathers up there.
That has helped them avoid yet another health threat to the cows.
"You're actually better off with a cold barn that's well-ventilated," Denny said.
"Close it up too tight and that brings on respiratory problems."
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