Wind shelters save money

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Published: October 24, 2002

Winter winds can blow holes in cattle producers’ pocket books.

Combined with cold temperatures, they can drive up feeding costs

dramatically. Providing adequate shelter for cattle will pay for itself

in saved feed costs, but will also mean fewer frozen ears and less

susceptibility to disease.

Trevor Yurchak of Alberta Agriculture said reducing wind speed on

cattle by as little as 10 km-h when temperatures dip to -25 C will

improve feed efficiency by 33 percent.

“Shelter is the fastest way to cut feed costs in winter,” he said.

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“Wind and cold conspire to keep cattle from gaining efficiently.

Without adequate shelter they have to burn the feed you’ve been putting

into them to stay warm instead of converting it to flesh.”

Cattle’s hair coats act as thermal blankets, trapping heat and moisture

near the skin. Wind breaks down that blanket, forcing the body to

produce additional heat to prevent the animal from freezing.

Winds behind a shelter will “almost never exceed 15 km-h. Most times

they would be less, even in a big storm,” Yurchak said.

An average 850 pound steer protected by a shelter and still facing a 15

km-h wind at -25 and fed a balanced ration will gain about 3.2 lb. per

day. The same animal without a shelter in a 25 km-h wind will gain only

two lb. per day. Both will cost $2.24, but the sheltered animal will

have gained an additional 1.2 lb.

Alberta Agriculture recommends building porous fences or low sheds and

placing them perpendicular to prevailing winter winds.

They should be located away from riparian areas because additional snow

and manure will build up around the shelter, causing additional

manure-laden runoff.

Portable windbreaks can reduce wind losses, spread manure around a

field and keep cattle closer to their feed and water supplies, and

winter grazing.

“Whether it is trees, fences or whatever the producer chooses, shelter

is an important part of any winter feeding program,” Yurchak said.

About the author

Michael Raine

Managing Editor, Saskatoon newsroom

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