cold_livestockKittitas County Extension issued the following Public Service Announcement:

Kittitas County, WA -12/06/2013 – Wind chill warning Friday evening through Saturday night.

There is a hazardous weather warning for our area starting today and going through tomorrow. It is predicted that we will see brutally cold wind chills of -10 to -30 degrees F. These temperatures and wind chills can be dangerous for livestock.
 
Please make sure animals that are housed outdoors have access to windbreaks and bedding and that watering devices are checked and cleared of ice. Animals must increase feed intake to compensate for extreme cold and they cannot eat more if they don’t have water. If it is possible to bring animals into a barn, please do so.
 
As a general rule, animals need 1% more energy for every 1 degree below freezing.  Offer plenty of feed and use higher quality feed if you have it. Consider using an energy supplement.  If using grain to supplement energy, do not feed more than .5% body weight in grain to protect ruminants’ ability to digest hay.
Kittitas County https://www.co.kittitas.wa.us