Winter Is Coming. The animals are ready.
You know the signs. Somewhere around the first cold snap, someone in the house drags a plastic tub out of the back of the closet, the one labeled "WINTER CLOTHES" in marker that's been fading since 2019. You dig out the flannel, the wool socks, and the one good pair of gloves (the other one is still missing). The clocks fall back an hour and suddenly it's dark before you're finished with supper. The fireplace goes from decoration to earning its keep; time to kick off your boots to roast your bum.
We humans are great at getting ready for winter. We have closets, thermostats, and a drawer full of hot cocoa packets.
But here's what I keep coming back to every fall: the animals don't get any of that. No tub. No fireplace. No boots to kick off. So what do they do?
Turns out, quite a lot. And they started getting ready long before we did.
How Our Cows Get Ready
They grow their own winter coat, and they start early. Cattle don't wait for the first frost to decide it's time. As the days get shorter, their bodies take the hint and they begin growing a thicker, denser coat. By the time the really cold weather settles in, that hair is deep, fluffy, and built to hold warmth.
They can fluff it up on demand. On a frigid morning, a cow's hair actually stands up, trapping a layer of air against her skin. That layer of still air is her insulation. Think of it like the puffiest down jacket you own, except she grew it herself and never has to find it in the closet.
They carry their own furnace. A cow's rumen, the biggest of her four stomach compartments, is a fermentation vat. As the microbes in there break down forage, they give off heat. It's one reason you'll see cattle standing calmly in snow with frost on their backs. (That frost is actually a good sign. It means the heat is staying in instead of leaking out through the coat.) More forage means more warmth, which is why winter is all about making sure they have plenty of good forage (grown right here on our pasture, the ultimate farm to table meal for the ladies) and fresh water. A cow burns more energy staying warm when it's cold, so she needs to eat more to keep up.
They watch out for each other. Cattle will bunch up, turn their backs to the wind, they'll use the herd and the lay of the land to block the worst of it. A good windbreak or a stand of trees makes a real difference.
Here's the part that surprises most people, though: cold is not really a cow's biggest enemy. Wet is. A dry, fluffed-up coat can handle some seriously low temperatures. A soaked, matted coat can't hold that air, and the insulation goes right out the window. A cold, dry day is a lot easier on a cow than a cold, wet one (that's where the trees come in). You can always tell what weather you're in for by observing cattle. If its going to be a hot one, you'll find them all knees deep in the pond, if its going to be a cold one, you'll find them huddled together in the tree's  (all before the weather man has a chance to wish you good morning). Animals, know. Â
How Our Chickens Get Ready
They swap out their wardrobe. Every fall, hens go through a molt, dropping their old worn-out feathers and growing in a fresh set. If you've ever walked out to the coop and thought a hen looked like she'd lost a fight with a pillow, that's probably what happened. It's not pretty, but it's the chicken version of buying a new winter coat.
They are walking down comforters. Underneath those outer feathers is a layer of soft down. When it's cold, a chicken fluffs everything up to trap warm air close to her body, which is why you'll see them looking round as bowling balls on a frosty morning.
They tuck in at night. Chickens roost together, huddled up shoulder to shoulder, and rest their bodies down over their feet, so their feathers cover their toes like a cozy blanket. Cold feet are no fun for anyone.
Why This Matters to Us
Watching all this play out every year has a way of putting things in perspective. The animals aren't scrambling at the last minute like we do when the first snow surprises us. They've been getting ready the whole time, guided by the same sun and seasons that have guided farmers for generations.
Our job is simply to back them up: good feed, fresh water, dry ground, and a little shelter from the wind. Papa always says you work hard for the land, and in winter especially that means working for the animals that live on it.
So as you pull that tub out of the closet this year and set the fireplace to glow, give a little nod to the cows out in the pasture with their frosty backs and the hens fluffed up like feather pillows. They've got this. They've had it figured out for a lot longer than we have.
From our pasture to your table, thank you for trusting us with your family's dinner. Stay warm out there.
Shop our regenerative farm, pasture-raised Black Angus beef and chicken at parsonscreeksteak.com, and follow along on Facebook and Instagram for more from the farm.