UK)–Kentuckians already are deep in the throes of winter with a long stretch of below-freezing temperatures and bitter wind chills. Lingering periods of extreme cold put livestock at risk.

As arctic air builds, livestock become vulnerable to deteriorating outside conditions. Dixon said that over the next week and possibly into early February, the livestock cold stress index will hover in the danger and emergency categories for much of Kentucky.

Livestock producers should make sure animals have adequate shelter, water, dry bedding and feed to make it through this cold spell. Pet owners should bring pets indoors. UK livestock specialists said animals have a higher requirement for energy in the colder months, so producers should have high-quality forages and grains on hand to meet their needs.

The average horse, with a lower activity level, should eat between 1.5 and 2 percent of its body weight in feed per day to maintain its weight. UK equine specialist Bob Coleman said feed requirement goes up in the winter, as the horse uses more calories to keep warm. He recommended providing extra hay and adding grain to the diet if forage supplies are not adequate. For mature horses at maintenance, a good quality legume-grass mixed hay should be adequate, while young, growing horses or broodmares in late gestation require a concentrate in their diets to meet the increased calorie needs due to the colder temperatures.

Those adding concentrate for the first time need to make the additions gradually to prevent digestive upsets. In addition, horses need shelter to provide protection from the wind and precipitation. It’s also important for horses to have access to clean water to ensure they will eat adequate amounts of feed and to reduce the risk of impaction. All horse owners need to take extra time observing horses during cold snaps. Some horses will need extra attention.

Ambient temperatures can impact the amount of dry matter cattle eat, providing an opportunity to compensate for increased maintenance energy needs. Producers either need to increase their animals’ feed intake or increase the energy density of the diet by feeding higher quality hay or adding more grain or fat to the grain mix, livestock specialist Jeff Lehmkuhler said.

He recommended that producers continue to monitor cows during the winter and make sure to maintain the animals’ body condition.

He said to consider separating younger and thinner cows that may not have the same internal insulation as conditioned older cows and supplement them accordingly or offer them higher quality forage if available. Coleman said equine owners can employ similar strategies and separate animals according to body condition score.

Extreme cold can have other detrimental impacts on livestock. Frostbite on the scrotum of bulls can lower fertility for a couple months. Lehmkuhler recommended that all bulls have a breeding soundness exam conducted by a veterinarian prior to the breeding season, especially after a severely cold winter. Those calving during winter months should be prepared to warm calves if needed. Advanced planning to warm calves born in winter months can increase newborn survival.

Long-range outlooks farther into next week and into mid-January point toward near- to below-normal temperatures for Kentucky.

For more information about agricultural weather visit the UK Ag Weather Center at http://weather.uky.edu/.