By Wendy Vacik, Livestock Specialist

Many guests visiting Farmpark during the winter months are surprised to find the park’s animals outside enjoying the cold weather in the same pastures and paddocks they lounged in during the hot summer months. Like their wild ancestors, most of today’s domestic livestock are well equipped to handle snow and cold. The difference is that unlike wild animals, which can range over vast territory to find necessities such as food, water and shelter, domestic animals are confined to pens and pastures. They are reliant on their caretakers, and their welfare depends on our knowledge of the animal’s specific requirements for health and survival. Just for fun, take the following quiz to see how well you would do at bringing Farmpark’s flocks and herds through a snowy Great Lakes winter!
 

1. True or False? Chickens, like wild birds, need no supplemental heat for the winter. False. Many breeds of chicken have large combs and wattles that are extremely susceptible to frostbite. If you cannot supply supplemental heat, raise a breed with small “pea combs” and wattles such as Dominiques, Americanas or Brahmas.
    
2. True or False? As temperatures drop, the diets of herbivores such as cattle, horses and goats should include more grain and less hay in order to provide extra energy for warmth. False. When it comes to generating warmth, these animals actually benefit more from additional quantities of high-quality forages in their diets rather than grain. As their guts ferment the forage, the bacteria produce large amounts of heat that will actually keep the animals warmer more efficiently than burning energy from grain sources. 
    
3. True or False? Animals should be housed in warm airtight barns during cold weather, not open three-sided sheds. False. Livestock locked in airtight barns with poor ventilation are at a high risk for serious respiratory infections such as pneumonia. With few exceptions, most adult livestock are healthier housed outside provided that they have access to a draft-free three-sided shed, adequate feed and water, and dry bedding areas. 
    
4. True or False? Wool is such a good insulator that sheep will often not seek shelter in cold weather and may actually be found with their wool frozen to the ground in the morning. True. While none of Farmpark’s sheep have ever been found frozen to the ground, it is not an unheard of occurrence. Wool is such a superior insulator that snow readily piles up on sheep without melting. If the sheep don’t periodically shake the snow off, it can accumulate several inches providing additional insulation against the cold. 

Well, how did you do? It isn’t always the intuitive answer that is the most correct. Factor in additional demands such as gestation, lactation, or work, and it can become a challenge to meet the needs of domestic animals through the winter months. Pets and livestock depend on us to know the answers for them, so if you have domestic animals in your care, be sure to discuss their needs with your veterinarian. They’re counting on you to see them through!