Care and Condition of Sacrifice Areas

Introduction and Considerations

During the winter months, livestock feeding and loafing areas are often of great concern and discussion to livestock producers. Often, a limiting resource is prevalent in an operation, such as suitable land for winter feed or the proper livestock numbers to match the available resources. In these instances, winter feeding, especially in wet years, can leave even the most experienced managers struggling for answers.

Winter feeding preparation must begin earlier in the year, before winter. If land and wintering facilities are limited, consider adjusting livestock numbers. This will help with stored and harvested feedstuffs and reduce winter manure collection. Stocking rates should always remain fluid and ever-changing, depending on feeding resources, facilities, and availability of stockpiled and spring forages.

Livestock feed consumption and nutritional needs increase in colder temperatures due to increased metabolic processes, resulting in the need for additional pounds of dry matter intake (DMI) per day. During winter feeding, a general rule of thumb is 2.5-3.0% of body weight for the feed-to-animal weight ratio. This means a 1250-pound cow needs to eat between 31 and 38 pounds of dry matter (DM) per day to meet her nutritional requirements. Additionally, livestock expend energy differently based on external temperature and whether their coats are wet or dry.

Figure 1: Changes in total digestible nutrient (TDN) requirements with temperature variations

Winter Feeding Options

Barn or Covered Lot

Using a covered barn or a reinforced lot is an effective way to reduce stress on the animals, reduce feed waste, and help preserve animal health during winter feeding. Using covered barns also provides some other advantages. By feeding in a covered barn or a reinforced pad, manure can be contained and applied to areas of the operation where it is needed, such as row crops or forages. Another advantage is that it keeps livestock contained and in a central location, making livestock handling and care easier. As helpful as these facilities can be, they still present their challenges. Feeding in barns and lots means that the liquid, whether that is manure, urine, rain, or snow, is generally contained. Bedding is a major concern and can be an additional cost to operations that are not prepared for it. Indoor hay feeding can provide some bedding, but adding additional hay, straw, sawdust, or corn stalks is necessary to keep the facility dry and the livestock healthy. Another concern is muddy areas along the edges of the barns or reinforced pads. Where the foundation or gravel ends, mud is often an issue, and especially troublesome for young stock in these areas. Monitor these areas, as they will often occur along laneways, gates, and any entry point. Other concerns can be manure storage, young stock safety, and runoff issues.

Barns with covered areas do not always have a concrete slab or a stone loafing area; they may have a clay or other compacted surface that can be scraped. The overall goal of these facilities is to reduce field degradation and keep livestock out of standing mud and water, while collecting manure nutrients and applying them to fields in the spring. These areas are a gold standard in winter feeding facilities but require keen management and a well-suited area.

Pasture Feeding

Feeding livestock on pasture during the winter months is a common practice, which, under certain management, can be quite successful. Pasture feeding is most effective in a climate where the ground is frozen. Otherwise, it can result in a sacrifice area or stress lot, which will be mentioned later. Pasture feeding offers several significant advantages over other wintering methods for livestock grazers. Feed sources, like hay and mineral feeders, can be moved around to encourage animals to move away from highly traveled, popular areas of the pasture and to distribute manure and hoof traffic across the field, while reducing nutrient concentration in certain areas. This limits the amount of stockpiled waste that must be spread during clean-out in the spring.

Pasture feeding does not limit feeding to a single area; it utilizes all pastures, rotating livestock across the operation, reducing the risk of compaction and degradation. However, there are always negative returns with every system. Some disadvantages of pasture feeding include livestock being dispersed across multiple locations, making containment difficult in the event of bad weather. Bale wagons, ring feeders, or rolling out hay results in feeding losses from 10-50% and the potential for nutrient hot spots in pastures where the forage has been fed. Young animal morbidity can be a concern when feeding outdoors in cold weather, mud, and wet conditions.

Unless the pasture that is being fed in is scheduled for renovation, pasture feeding usually works best when it is coupled with another system, like a sacrifice lot or a covered barn and reinforced pad. By combining the two techniques, livestock can be contained during periods of cold and wet weather, preserving the pasture, and pasture-fed when the area is dry or frozen. This will allow the livestock to have an area to be out and move, but also be protected during periods of distressing weather.

Stockpiled Feed

Many farmers take advantage of a variety of feed sources in their fields during the winter months. Corn stalks, cover crops, planted winter annuals, and stockpiled fescue are all excellent sources of winter feed. To take full advantage of these winter feed sources, consider strip grazing small sections at a time of these types of forage. This ensures livestock will reduce selective grazing and increase grazing days by reducing the opportunity for waste. Stocking rate should be considered and can be calculated by determining available forage, the livestock's nutritional needs, and the number of grazing days. Table 1 shows the possible grazing days per acre per animal unit (AU) for various winter forages.

Based on the needs of 1 AUM (Animal Unit Month, feed needed for 1,000# cow for a month.)
Wheat estimates from UNL Fact Sheet #EC185

All winter forages have benefits and limitations. Corn stalks have 70% TDN and 6-7% crude protein early in the season, enough to meet the nutrient requirements of a dry beef cow in early gestation. As winter continues, weather degrades the corn stalk quality, and supplementation may be needed. Young wheat has nutritive values that are sufficient for nearly all classes of beef cattle and sheep, but requires significant acreage and careful attention to soil moisture to avoid compaction. For both systems, supplement accordingly and watch for signs of bloat.

Tall fescue is an excellent forage option for stockpiling, as it retains its leaves well after frost, maintains its nutritive value, and persists through overgrazing and frequent grazing events. Stockpiled cool-season perennials offer greater nutritive value than if that forage were harvested as hay due to the absence of harvest equipment and the quality reduction that occurs as a result of the harvesting process, as well as the absence of the degradation of forage quality after mowing as a result of respiration.

Sacrifice Pasture or Stress Lot

An area designated for winter feeding, ideally with a concrete or clay base that can easily have manure removed from the area. This system works best in dry conditions. One of the perceived benefits is low input cost, although reseeding the area, maintaining runoff, reducing mud, and manure removal can quickly increase the costs of this system. If the area is bulldozed, an Agricultural Erosion and Sedimentation plan is needed. If the sacrifice lot is more than an acre, additional permits may be required. The greatest concerns of this system include heavy nutrient loads, risk to nearby water, and animal health in muddy conditions. High levels of care are needed to mitigate these risks, requiring significant management and labor hours.

Choosing Which Fields or Paddocks Are Less Risky

If a sacrifice pasture or stress lot is the best option, there are many considerations that go into choosing the proper area.

The lot needs to comply with all manure management and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regulations, with manure setbacks and effluent runoff laws. Fields, pastures, or areas with a high soil test for phosphorus and potassium should be avoided.

Consider your ability to manage the area while the livestock are in it. How easily can you feed it in? How far is it from your hay storage? This area should have a good drinking source for livestock. Cattle need between 12 and 25 gallons of water per day, with the greatest requirement for lactating cattle. Also, since they are likely to be eating a dried feed, their water intake from feed will be reduced compared to spring or summer, when they are on grass with 70% moisture. Livestock also have a higher water demand when the weather is cold, due to the metabolic process to keep them warm, so keep water supply in mind when selecting sacrifice areas or pasture.

The topography of the land is also something to consider. If the land is sloped toward water or it "lays wet," it is not a good choice for a sacrifice pasture or stress area during winter feeding. Other concerns of topography will be the ability to rejuvenate the area in the spring after the area has been used. Likely, it will need to be disked or plowed to remove ruts and hoof marks. If reseeding is needed, consider the ability to get equipment to the area and whether equipment rental or contractual labor will be utilized.

Selecting a sacrifice or stress lot that can be rotated with hay or crop fields is optimal. By using one or a portion of a crop field, the option of planting or renovation is easier. In the case of a hay field, consider rotating through each of your fields, one portion every six years, and renovate after. This will provide a way to remove the heavy nutrient load that is deposited during winter feeding through harvest and will put your operation on a renovation schedule.

Summary

Many options for wintering livestock exist. Covered barns may be the ideal winter area for some, whereas other operations can take advantage of the economic advantages of pasture feeding or stockpiled feeds. Sacrifice areas require maintenance and care to ensure animal and environmental health. Choose an option that matches your management style and supports the environmental and economic goals of your farm.

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