First time...

[DollyDaisy]

So I'm getting a jersey cow and her heifer which is a jersey/Dexter mix. My biggest question is will they grow winter coats? I live in north Idaho and winters can be brutal especially since our last two years have been light we are expecting a LOT of snow this year. Should I go get some kind of blanket for them or just feed them more grain? The heifer is still nursing off momma which is fine by me since I don't need much milk out of her for the first few months. So any tips about dairy cows and calving and weaning would be great. Other wise I'm just gonna let nature do it's thing. I'm just don't wanna lose 2good cows to old man winter.

[SCRancher]

Keeping a cow warm in winter is not about more grain - although they do need food energy - it's about them having enough in their stomachs along with enough water to keep the digestion process going - from what I have been told their stomachs act as an internal furnace warming them as long as they have something in it - some farmers around here will feed corn and such but also plenty of just plan old straw.

Now I live in a very mild winter area so your mileage may vary but I don't think they need blankets - just plenty of good food and filler.

[MO_cows]

Did you ship them in from far away? If they are from your region, they should be adapted to it. Ditto what SCRancher said, a belly full of roughage, adequate protein, and taking in enough water to keep it all moving will do the most to keep them warm. A 3-sided shed, open on the south side, that they can come and go as they please is what I consider ideal winter shelter. A simple windbreak to block the north/west winter winds will help them if nothing else is available. But as long as they start the winter in good condition and their nutritional needs are met, most cattle are very hardy in the cold.

[copperhead46]

Don't feed straw, you can get into some real digestive problems that way, good hay is all thats really neccesary. They really do need shelter from falling weather and to break the wind, a wet cow cant take the freezing wind very well. I fed extra hay last year because we had a brutal winter, and they need that full belly to generate heat. Make sure they are wormed and as healthy as possible and you shouldn't have any problems. We had 42 inches of snow on the ground last year and we had to use our tractor and blade to make paths for them to get to the water and hay, it was too deep for my Dexters to push through it.

[sammyd]

we keep our dairy cattle outside year round. If you are milking the animal then you will do her right by adding some sort of energy dense food to her diet such as corn or something like barley baleage made in the soft dough stage instead of the boot.
We normally feed no grain or maybe just a taste in the parlor to get them in when the pastures are good but have found that the extra energy in the cold keeps them conditioned and looking good.
A study I read a couple of years back found that the heat produced by digestion and the heat produced by lactation will keep a cow from burning energy off her body down to about 17 below zero, after that you need to help her out.

[SCRancher]

17 below and I'm going to need to be helped out!
A brutal winter for me is anytime the temperature drops below 25 degrees and/or if it stays below 32 for more than 4 or 5 days in a row!

I know brutal right!?

We had a brutal winter this year - we actually had snow on the ground for almost 2 solid weeks!

[DollyDaisy]

Um that kind of weather defines our winters SCRancher. Anything above freezing up here means heat wave..

[linn]

Originally Posted by DollyDaisy

So I'm getting a jersey cow and her heifer which is a jersey/Dexter mix. My biggest question is will they grow winter coats? I live in north Idaho and winters can be brutal especially since our last two years have been light we are expecting a LOT of snow this year. Should I go get some kind of blanket for them or just feed them more grain? The heifer is still nursing off momma which is fine by me since I don't need much milk out of her for the first few months. So any tips about dairy cows and calving and weaning would be great. Other wise I'm just gonna let nature do it's thing. I'm just don't wanna lose 2good cows to old man winter.

As long as the cattle can get in a shelter out of the wind and weather, they should do fine. They will grow a coat to accomdate the climate. Make sure they have plenty of good quality hay, a little grain and water them at least twice a day, if you don't have an automatic waterer.