The Bovine Bugle

Buttoning up the heifer barn for winter

The recent cold weather motivated us to winterize the heifer, or young stock, barn to keep the young animals housed inside comfortable and healthy. I say us, but mostly it was my mom. After a trip to O.C. McCuin's, my brother-in-laws farm and home store, she had all the supplies to tackle the job.

The ten windows in the barn were covered with new, clear plastic. Each piece was cut to size, stapled over the window opening, and secured with strips of wood fastened to the wall studding. This process took Mom 3-4 hours total. It's a job she always seems to end up doing, so nobody else seems to take the initiative in the fall to do it. We also make sure to start covering the pitching holes, too, especially at night. The term pitching hole refers to a hole cut in the barn ceiling to provide access to the haymow above the animals. Farmers used to "pitch" the loose hay down through the hole to the animals. This was when the haying was done with horses, and the hay was not baled into bales but loaded with pitchforks onto wagons and the put into the haymow as loose hay.

Once we close up the young stock barn, we make sure to have the barn fan running properly. The fan keeps the air in the barn moving, keeping it fresh for the animals. This is a big part of keeping the young animals healthy through the winter, helping to avoid respiratory problems such as pneumonia. With this barn ready for the young animals, it's on to the pole barn where we house the older heifers/steers who overwinter outside.

--Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont