January 07, 2010  (AP) — Poultry producers and cattle ranchers are taking steps to help their animals overcome single-digit temperatures, the likes of which haven’t been seen in Arkansas in more than a decade.  Cattle need more feed so they can keep themselves warm. Poultry producers will have to fire up heaters in their chicken houses, and they’ll also have to make sure the houses are properly ventilated.  Temperatures are forecast to plunge below the teens Thursday and not rise above freezing until Sunday. The state last saw widespread single-digit temps in 1996. 

Dustan Clark, extension poultry health veterinarian at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, said many poultry producers won’t get much sleep this week.  “Growers will be working hard the next 96 or so hours to get things done and monitor the birds, checking everything they can,” Clark said. “Some will be spending their nights in the chicken houses.”  Birds of different ages have to be handled differently.  “In the commercial poultry houses, the day-old chicks are kept somewhere in the temperature range of 90-94 degrees Fahrenheit,” he said. “The cold weather will mean that the growers will be running more heat to keep the birds comfortable.”

As the birds age, they are more able to produce their own heat. Chickens produce a lot of moisture from respiration and excretion.  “The grower has to ventilate the house, as usual, to reduce humidity and keep the birds from getting too hot,” he said. “The house temperature is about 60 in those older, heavier birds.” 

Arkansas is No. 2 in broiler production in the U.S., a business with $2.86 billion in 2008 revenue, according to the extension service. Arkansas is the No. 11 beef cattle producer, worth $407 million in 2008.  Cattle perform best when the temperatures hover between 59 degrees and 77 degrees.  Tom Troxel, an animal science professor at the university, said that a cow’s energy requirements increase by 1 percent for every degree below the critical temperature.  “It may be that more, or higher quality, hay needs to be provided,” Troxel said.  Also, if the cows are wet, their coats lose their insulating properties.  “Another thing to consider is mud,” he said. “It’s estimated that it can increase the maintenance requirement from 7 percent to 30 percent.” Ranchers also have to be sure water is available.  Calves are most vulnerable to the cold, but most Arkansas ranchers have cows that won’t calve until late winter or early spring, Troxel said.

Source:
Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO