Seasonal Care
Cows & Buffaloes
Cold Stress in Cattle — Feeding Through a Kashmiri Winter
Updated 26 Aug 2026 • By Falah Nutrition Desk, Animal Nutrition Advisor
Below a certain cold point, an animal starts burning feed just to stay warm — before a single litre of milk is made. In a valley winter, unprepared animals quietly lose condition and yield even when 'nothing is wrong', because the cold itself is eating first.
Common Signs
- Milk yield sagging through winter despite unchanged feeding
- Animals visibly shivering, especially wet or thin ones
- Hunched posture, tucked tail, animals crowding together
- Rough, staring coat standing on end for long spells
- Body condition sliding down over the cold months
Possible Causes
- Feed energy diverted from production to body heat in cold sheds
- Wet animals or wet bedding — dampness multiplies heat loss
- Cold drafts at animal level through broken openings
- Ice-cold drinking water reducing intake right when dry fodder needs more of it
- Thin animals with little fat insulation suffering first
What the Farmer Should Check
- Is bedding thick and dry — does the knee test pass where animals lie?
- Are body-level drafts blocked while high ventilation stays open?
- Is drinking water offered lukewarm at least twice daily?
- Is the winter ration actually increased over summer levels?
- Are thin, old and young animals given extra shelter and feed priority?
Feed Guidance
Winter feeding is heating plus production: increase total feed in cold months rather than holding summer levels — the rumen's fibre digestion is itself the animal's furnace, so generous dry fodder does double duty. Keep the measured compound feed matched to yield so body condition doesn't fund the milk, and continue daily mineral mixture since straw-heavy winter diets run mineral-poor. Lukewarm water is part of the ration in January — animals drink more of it, and intake drives everything. Prioritise the thin animals: going into winter in good body condition is the cheapest cold protection there is.
Relevant GOKA Products
Buffaloes
10-15 liters/day
NDF-rich feed for rich buffalo milk fat
Dairy Cows & Buffaloes
15-22 liters/day
Peak milk with high FAT & SNF
Dairy Cows & Buffaloes
10-15 liters/day
Maintains milk fat, prevents repeat breeding
When to Contact a Veterinary Doctor
A shivering animal that is also dull, off feed or feverish is sick, not just cold — involve your veterinary doctor the same day.
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