Prepare now for spring mud

As I write this news article during the last week of February, it is hard to believe that 2021 is speeding ahead. I think about the groundhog seeing his shadow and a month where we have lived through snow, ice, freezing rain and low wind chills that have kept the ground frozen and our livestock hopefully healthy.

Looking ahead

After going through all of that in February, for some reason, I decided to look ahead at the monthly predictions for the weather in March to see what that wonderful month has in store for us here in eastern Ohio.

Well, the first two weeks of March do not look too bad, with daytime temperatures in the 40s and dropping into the 20s at night. The first part of the month does not seem to call for any snow or rain either at this point — only sunny and cloudy skies during that time.

But those last two weeks are what we need to prepare for. The last two weeks of March will see temperatures in the 40s and some days reaching the 50s, while the nighttime lows will continue in the 20s and 30s.

Muddy days coming

Unfortunately, with those temperatures rising, we are going to be getting some rain, and with that rain, our barn lots, feeding areas and pastures are going to turn into mud if we do not plan ahead. We may not be able to prevent this muddy mess from happening, but we can take steps to reduce its negative impact on our livestock and pastures.

The first part of the month looks like it is going to be a great time to evaluate pastures for damages and get any of those that need some repairs frost seeded with some new grasses.

There will even be some good days for cleaning the manure out of the barn and piling it up for composting. Remember, composting kills the bacteria and pathogens so that it is safe to spread on pastures as a soil amendment.

Since we know that the rain and mud are coming at the end of March, it is a great time to plan on how we are going to manage our livestock during that time. Nutrition and overall herd health are the two production areas that are impacted the most by rainfall and mud.

Effects on production

No matter the size of the animal, mud causes problems for them all. Mud can create suction on legs and hooves that can make it more difficult for animals to move around in feeding areas and even become stuck.

This means that the animal will have to use more energy to get to and from the feed source. This can reduce the amount of feed intake per animal because they do not want to stand knee-deep in mud to eat.

Mud can also lower the insulation value of the hair or wool coat on young animals and cause problems for livestock producers during calving, kidding and lambing. A big concern is newborn animals born in or near muddy areas.

Newborn animals can become chilled or trapped in muddy areas and become sick from the pathogens that thrive in the mud. It is very important that producers closely observe and check livestock closely during this time to watch for illnesses such as scours and pneumonia in newborns.

Time to plan

We need to plan ahead and prevent some of these issues before the end of March gets here. It would be nice to have that heavy use pad in place now for feeding, but we can’t do that now — maybe this summer.

We can, however, move those new mothers with babies to new pastures away from the mud and health problems. We can also move those feeders around every time we put a new bale of hay out. This will help reduce the mud and pasture damage that occurs by feeding in the same spot each time.

While we can not avoid the rain and mud completely on the farm, it is that time of year, and we know it is coming. We can manage and find ways to not only reduce the amount of mud around the farm but also reduce the stress it has on both livestock and ourselves.