Where Do Our Cows Live in Wintertime?
Every farm is different.
Different regions, different weather, different soil, elevation, water tables... and all that means different schedules!
In northern climates, many plants--including grass--go dormant for the winter. That means they're not putting on much growth above soil level until the temperature warms in the Spring. This makes it difficult to have animals graze during the Winter as, without the ability to regrow, the supply of juicy grass blades would quickly diminish. Farms like ours cut and wrap hay to store for year-round use, enabling the herd to enjoy a grass-heavy diet even when grasses are not actively growing.
The second thing to consider is a farm's location. For instance, our farm is situated in an area with a naturally high water table. That combined with the precipitation of a temperate rainforest leaves the fields so swampy that any traffic quickly creates a muddy mess. But while this may not be ideal for our cows, it's a valuable habitat for overwintering birds and wildlife.
For us, this means our cows spend the Winter tucked into their barns. Fortunately, our milder coastal climate doesn't often get too cold for them (it's been suggested that a cow's ideal temperature is 6 degrees Celsius), presenting the opportunity to house them in open-sided barns with fresh airflow. They're given soft beds of sand or woodchips, and fed hay that we harvested during the growing season.
Even with this comfortable lifestyle, they're as eager as ever to get out to pasture in the Spring! We always enjoy the day every Spring when they excitedly go romping and leaping through the green grass.
