As colder temperatures keep residents indoors, livestock are using their genetic traits to keep themselves warm.

Dr. Cody Branstad of Keota Veterinary Clinic says different animals vary in their tolerance for cold, “Livestock as a general rule can tolerate the colder weather better than we can. Sometimes with that extra hair it tends to be more of a cushion or an insulator. But that being said when it gets towards the zero degree temps or even in the negative degree temps, even that mechanism tends to start to go by the wayside.”

Branstad says farmers need to provide more food for livestock as it gives them more energy to keep warm. Access to water is vital, and Branstad suggests providing shelter if possible.