Deep cold puts pressure on ranchers and livestock

Snow-covered cattle stand in a pasture near Didsbury, Alta., Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

The sudden plunge into extreme cold has many ranchers increasing the feed they need to keep herds of cattle warm.

"The animals need a certain amount of feed per day -- so many pounds -- and when the weather gets like this, you're upping it, tripling it," said Tim Hamelin, ranch manager at Black Diamond Land and Cattle near Millarville, Alta.

He says while cattle enjoyed the warm weather through December, dry conditions meant not as much graze was available in many pastures and that meant the animals needed supplemental feed to stay healthy.

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Consecutive years of drought conditions have driven up the price of feed, with round bale prices exceeding $200 each -- roughly double the price of recent years.

The 400 cattle at Black Diamond Land and Cattle go through about a dozen of those bales a day right now.

Cattle and other animals that ferment in their stomachs use feed to generate body heat and in the cold, they need more fuel to stay warm and keep weight on.

Hamelin says cattle are now being fed late in the evening to help them through the long, cold nights, and ranch staff are checking on the animals in the dark hours to make sure they're alright.

"You do everything you can do and then you wait for something to go sideways because it will go sideways in these temperatures," Hamelin said.

Vehicles aren't starting, water troughs are freezing and even winter gas sometimes refuses to flow in these extreme conditions.

"Regardless, it has to happen," Hamelin said.

"We have to feed the animals. Water. It has to get done."

Horses are slightly less hardy than cattle and some need extra care.

Some show animals, elderly horses or those showing signs of distress in the cold are moved indoors to a heated barn until temperatures get back closer to seasonal normals.

"The horses have gotten accustomed to the milder temperatures so when we have the drastic change like this, horses can react to that drastic change," said Miranda Turton, the ranch's barn manager.

"We have to be monitoring them for signs of colic, you know, just keeping an eye on them for any signs of stress we may see," Turton said. "You know, it's a 24-7 job."

Temperatures are expected to settle back down to more normal winter conditions next week.