Deep freeze, snow create multiple worries for cattle, poultry operations
Single-digit wind chills, freezing water in pipes and troughs and high snow loads on roofs are causing concerns for poultry and cattle operations, specialists from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture said Monday.
Low temperatures reported Monday morning to the National Weather Service included minus 5 at Compton, zero at Lead Hill and 2 degrees at Gilbert. At noon Monday, the North Little Rock airport had 10.9 inches of snow, while Greers Ferry, Perryville and Vilonia all reported 11 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.
For poultry growers, “the biggest problems are having water pipes freezing and watering equipment not working,” said Dustan Clark, extension poultry specialist for the Division of Agriculture. Clark said many growers are putting space heaters and heat lamps in control rooms to keep pipes from freezing solid and to allow electronic control equipment to keep operating.
“Some are getting very little sleep — setting alarms and some are staying up all night — to check waterlines and birds,” he said.
“Poultry growers that don’t have the best insulation; it’s going to be harder to keep those houses warm.” “Roof collapse – that is a worry,” Clark said. “Depends on how much snow you’ve got. Most can handle it, but when we have 8 inches of snow in this last round, and if we get much more; maybe 2-6 inches, that could be rough on some of those poultry houses.”
Keeping cattle fed, watered
“Cows in good body condition and have a good winter coat are fairly tolerant of cold weather,” said Shane Gadberry, professor-ruminant nutrition and extension specialist. “Arkansas cattle are at a disadvantage because they haven't had time to adapt to extremely cold temperatures.
Gadberry said “thin cows, cows with short hair, lactating cows, and Brahman-influenced cattle breeds will have a little tougher time meeting the increased energy needs when it is cold and wet outside.”
There are certainly no snow days for ranchers, who have to be outside, no matter the weather.
“Cows will eat more when they are really cold, so it is important to keep plenty of good quality hay in front of cattle at all times and supplement hay that is moderate- to low-quality with grain or grain byproduct-type feeds,” Gadberry said. “Ranchers may want to avoid using range meals at
this time because the salt will make cows want to drink and the bitter cold is making a lot of water sources frozen over and less accessible.
“It is important to break ice and make water accessible to maintain normal water consumption,” he said. “Hopefully this event won’t last more than a week.” However, when things start to thaw out, there are still issues ranchers need to worry about.
“When the temperature gets back to normal and the ground thaws, feeding areas may need to be relocated or ranchers may want to start unrolling hay to keep feeding sites distributed over larger areas to avoid creating deep mud tracks,” Gadberry said. “Deep mud makes it difficult for cattle to get to hay and eat as much as they could otherwise.”
To learn about extension and research programs in Arkansas, visit https://division. uaex.edu/
Today is Wednesday, Feb. 17, the 48th day of 2021. There are 317 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Feb. 17, 1815, the United States and Britain exchanged the instruments of ratification for the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812.
On this date:
In 1801, the U.S. House of Representatives broke an electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, electing Jefferson president; Burr became vice president.
In 1863, the International Red Cross was founded in Geneva.
In 1864, during the Civil War, the Union ship USS Housatonic was rammed and sunk in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, by the Confederate hand-cranked submarine HL Hunley in the first naval attack of its kind; the Hunley also sank.
In 1897, the forerunner of the National PTA, the National Congress of Mothers, convened its first meeting in Washington. In 1944, during World War II, U.S. forces invaded Eniwetok (ehn-eh-WEE’-tahk) Atoll, encountering little initial resistance from Imperial Japanese troops. (The Americans secured the atoll less than a week later.)
(All times Eastern) Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts
Wednesday, February 17
COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S)
4:30 p.m.
ACCN — North Carolina State at Pittsburgh
6 p.m.
ESPN2 — Texas at Oklahoma
6:30 p.m.
ACCN — Syracuse at Louisville
FS1 — Marquette at Butler
7 p.m.
BTN — Nebraska at Maryland
CBSSN — Virginia Commonwealth at Richmond
ESPNU — South Florida at Central Florida
SECN — Kentucky at Vanderbilt
8 p.m.
ESPN2 — Arizona State at Southern California 8:30 p.m.
ACCN — Duke at Wake Forest
FS1 — DePaul at Seton Hall
9 p.m.
BTN — Minnesota at Indiana
CBSSN — Utah State at Boise State
SECN — Alabama at Texas A&M
COLLEGE BASKETBALL (WOMEN’S) COLLEGE LACROSSE (WOMEN’S)
2 p.m.
ACCN — James Madison at Virginia Tech
NBA BASKETBALL
7:45 p.m.
ESPN — Houston at Philadelphia
10:05 p.m.
ESPN — Miami at Golden State
NBAGL BASKETBALL
3 p.m.
ESPNU — G League Ignite vs. Erie Bayhawks, Orlando, Fla.
NHL HOCKEY
1 p.m.
BTN — Illinois at Maryland
5 p.m.
NHLN — Florida at Carolina
7:30 p.m. NBCSN — Chicago at Detroit
10 p.m.
NBCSN — Winnipeg at Edmonton