When the weather outside is frightful.

As all of my local readers will know, New England is having a very cold winter thus far. 

We are taking 10 inches plus of snow and mornings anywhere from 7 below to 25 below. 

This causes problems on so many fronts I don't have time to list them all. 

I am only going to discuss farming in this weather, more specifically, how the animals handle it.

First off I have 3 points I would like to make.

1, animals have survived without our help for 100s of years. Depending on there natural habitat a lot of them are extremely capable of handling the cold weather, this, of course, excludes animals that live in tropical zones. 

They have generation after generation of knowledge about how to survive, where to make their homes, how to make their homes and when to make their homes.
As well as food storage, or what to eat before the cold comes.

By the time cold weather comes they are well prepared, well fed and can handle it. Also as the weather continues to chill off little by little their coat for winter builds thicker and thicker, by the time it is this cold they have a very warm coat.

A wolf, for instance, will have had its den fully made and very comfortable by the time snow flies and they can survive extremely well when curled up in their den on very cold snowy nights.

2, the second point I would like to make, is that your dog is not a wolf! 

We have bread them down to rely on us and they have lost a lot of the natural instinct they need to survive. 

A wild wolf will have lots of time to prepare before the cold weather flies if your dog Fido gets out of your house and gets lost in this type of whether he has no preparation, nor the proper coat for it and does not necessarily know how to care for himself properly to survive for prolonged exposure. 

I'm not saying this to scare you in case your dog has gotten away, Chances are in this day and age they would be found in time. 

We have made our pets dependent on us. To their detriment or not.

Cows are very well built to handle the cold. 

Scotch Highland cattle, for instance, have an extremely thick coat, they are able to eat brush, something more domestic cows would not do well on. 

S.H cattle are so equipped to handled cold, that they do not do well in the heat!

An un-pend cow, the equivalent of a wild cow, would find a pine grove to use as shelter. The trees give off some heat, the snow would be less deep in there and it would shield them from the driving snow and wind. 

A cow if, they were not limited to a fenced area would have the ability to move around at will and find enough food to sustain herself. 

A cow fenced in does not have the ability to find proper shelter or food, thus we must provide it. 

A cow when not given the opportunity to get out of the wind and snow can become very chilled. 

A snow-covered cow is probably fine unless the snow melts, the cow would become wet, making it harder for their body to maintain proper body temperature. 

At this point, they need the chance to dry off and warm up.

A lot of good high-calorie food is also very necessary, if they can build a nice layer of fat it shields them a lot.

A cold cow will stand very still, usually, their back is arched when it should be flat, They tended to go off their food and are not very willing to move, they're trying to reserve any energy they have.

Pigs are not equipped well to handle this cold. There are low to the ground making it difficult to keep above the snow. 

They have very little coat to speak of.  

Although they possess a thick layer of fat, they must have shelter with very fluffy bedding. They burrow under it to keep their heat in. 

3. Veterinarian's  common sense says all animals must be given shelter when the temp drops below 20° 

The bottom line is cows, horse, and another farm animals can stay healthy and warm in this weather if we give the opportunity to have shelter when they need it. 

I personally believe all animals should be given some shelter regardless of the season.

 Before we had our barn finished all my critters had free choice shelter.

We have taken once wild animals and domesticated them, slowly stripped away their natural sense of survival, or pend them so that they are limited and don't have the ability to seek proper shelter or food. 

That is what it is, whether you think this is okay or sad, our pets need us. 

Still, wild animals, unless ill or injured are better off left alone.

This does not mean giving them a helping had on occasion is a bad thing. 

Feeding birds, for instance, we enjoy watching them very much and I am sure they appreciate the meal.

    

All living breathing things can get frostbite and hypothermia, all living things can die in the extreme cold. 

Please give your critters proper care, not only in the cold but all the time. They need us, almost as much as we need them.

Disclaimer, I am not an expert, I am only a farmer, I have lived with animals all my life and I am going by what I have seen and learned before.
If you are unsure of how to care for your animals, please seek expert help.