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Winter grazing

Winter grazing at Stirley - credit: Simeon Gurr Photography

We're no stranger to a harsh Yorkshire winter, but how do our grazing animals cope with such inclement weather and what do they do in the winter months? South Reserves Assistant, Katie Baker, tells us more!

Here in Yorkshire, we are no stranger to a harsh winter, whether it’s the icy winds blowing through Spurn from the North Sea, snow-laden landscapes up in the Dales, or freezing rain across the Humberhead Levels. Us Yorkshire folk wrap up warm and don waterproofs to brave the elements - sometimes avoiding venturing out into the wild altogether for a cosy sit by the fireplace with a good strong brew. 

How do our grazing animals cope with such inclement weather? 

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust predominantly use native breeds in our conservation grazing as they tend to be more suited to UK conditions. Our conservation grazing livestock are hardy breeds that are still able to thrive through adverse conditions, such as a harsh winter. 

Four Highland cattle stood in a group in the snow on a nature reserve

Highland cattle in the snow at Carr Lodge, credit: Jim Horsfall

Highland cattle are purpose built for adverse weather – they have a double coat – the top layer is long, shaggy, and oily. Its purpose is to prevent damp reaching the skin. The bottom layer is soft and dense which traps warm air close to the body providing excellent thermal insulation – keeping the cow toasty and warm! In fact, a cow being covered in snow is a brilliant indicator that they are well insulated – their body heat isn’t radiating enough to melt the snow on their fur. Highlands shed their coat during late Spring, so they don’t overheat during Summer.

Their characteristic long fringe acts as a visor and protects their eyes from stinging rain and icy winds. Highlands have robust and sturdy legs which help them in wetter conditions. They use their long horns to rake away snow and uncover vegetation. They have a natural and unique ability to convert poor grazing efficiently. This means that they can take nutrients from poor quality vegetation which some other breeds would struggle to do.

Four Hebridean sheep huddled in a group with their heads together eating off the ground in the snow at Kiplingcotes nature reserve

Hebridean sheep in the snow at Kiplingcotes, credit: Clare Humphrey

Our Hebridean sheep are hardy and lightweight which means they do minimal damage to pasture even in wet conditions Their fleece is dense and has a high lanolin content – which is a natural wax produced in the sheep skin. Lanolin is both moisturising and water-resistant, making the sheep more resilient to the elements. In addition, their hard black hooves are less susceptible to foot problems. This makes them an ideal breed for our wetter reserves.

Konik ponies on a nature reserve in the snow. One is near and facing the camera, the others are behind and in the distance grazing on the ground.

Koniks in the snow, credit Angus Lee

The Trust has a small herd of Konik ponies which are very stocky and strong. While not a native breed, Koniks are very well adapted to harsh winters – they also grow dense and fluffy coats just like our cattle. During the winter months, along with our other grazing animals, our Konik’s become more active to maintain their body temperatures. Moving around more also provides more dining options; they consume large quantities of rough material which provides them with internal warmth along with valuable nutrients. 

What do our grazing animals get up to over winter?

As a preferred rule – winter grazing is not ideal. There is high demand in late Summer and Autumn, after wildflowers have bloomed and set their seed. Grazing animals stop the more competitive plants taking over – allowing for an increase in species diversity. See Why is conservation grazing important? for more details. 

Then comes the winter months – problematic for grazing. There is usually little high-quality forage to eat, and the ground is prone to damage from trampling by hooves (poaching), especially in areas such as gateways or around water sources where animals congregate. 

Suddenly the demand for grazing animals drops...

Where do our grazing animals go in winter?

While some of our reserves are quite sensitive and cannot cope with any grazing pressure over the winter months, some of our bigger reserves have ample space for our cattle, sheep and ponies. Our grazing animals return to “hub” sites such as Potteric, Spurn, and Stirley to over-winter. This also has the added benefit of bringing the animals together so we can do “on mass” welfare treatments and checks, such as blood testing, faecal sampling, and foot trimming. 

The Trust has specifically chosen grazing animals that are still able to thrive outside through adverse winter conditions. The animals we use tolerate winter weight loss from eating rougher and low-quality vegetation – seeking out scrub and tough grasses which would otherwise have the opportunity to expand into our precious habitats. The animals then put weight on during the spring and summer months when more lush, high-quality forage is available. 

cows on a snow covered field on a west yorkshire reserve.

Stirley cows in the snow

In extremely hostile weather such as a thick carpet of snow, or flooding, we supplementary feed our livestock. We supply mineral lick buckets – to ensure the livestock get all their essential nutrients. We also maintain stores of hay – quite a lot of which we produce from our own reserves to give to the animals when their available natural forage is too little. Dedicated staff and volunteers are constantly monitoring our grazing animals and reacting accordingly – during winter this is especially important to ensure all our grazing animals stay healthy. We take hay to the animals, break ice when it gets too thick; all to ensure our animals never go without.

To combat poaching, we lower our stocking density – we put fewer animals on larger areas. We also closely monitor all of our grazing areas and when any ground damage is detected, animals can be rotated to a different area. We can also rotate what type of animal grazes where, just like we would at any other time of the year. Grass is too short for cattle? No problem – rotate in the sheep or ponies, while moving the cattle onto an area with longer tussocks, or more scrub to munch on. 

So when someone asks what our grazing animals get up to over winter? They do exactly what they do the rest of the year – manage vegetation to improve our habitats for wildlife - and they are absolutely brilliant at it!

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