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MOORLAND - As northern Iowa begins to resemble the Antarctic tundra, humans wear layers of clothing and crank the furnace to stay warm.

Farm animals, however, begin to resemble snowmen.

Layers of snowflakes adhered to the backs of Tom Bunda's cattle as it fell from the sky.

They didn't seem to mind in the least.

"Large animals actually do fairly well in this weather," said veterinarian Michelle Brim, of Webster City. "They're hardier than we give them credit for."

While livestock are biologically equipped to deal with cold weather, Bunda said his cattle still need extra attention.

"I check on them every four or five hours," he said of his 150-head Angus herd. Half of the herd lives in barns at his home. The others are housed three miles away at another.

Besides ensuring the water hasn't frozen, Bunda checks on the calves and the expectant mothers.

"We usually calf in April or May, but we bred these heifers to calf this time of year, just to get 12 or so out of the way with their first calf," Bunda said. "First-time mothers require more attention."

Calves need more care as well when they enter the wintry world.

But, Bunda's calves seem to be handling the weather well so far. A 5-day-old calf lay comfortably on a bedding of hay near a large heat lamp while its mother stood by.

Bunda and his son, J.B., will help six more heifers calf for the first time in these frigid conditions.

"We dry them off, and I installed the heat lamp for them. You don't want to use a space heater because the calf could start to smell like the fuel's fumes, and then the mother might not claim it," Bunda said.

Bruce Towne, a veterinarian in Gowrie, said this type of weather can cause lamb and calves to lose the tips of the ears and tails.

"Right now most of what you may see with new lambs and claves is the freezing of the tips of their ears and tails," Towne said. "But most of that can be prevented by simply providing them with shelter."

Two large pole sheds - buildings that use round poles as primary support - provide Bunda's animals respite from the wind and allow them enough exposure to the elements for the growth of their winter coat.

"With cattle you want to keep them as close to nature as possible," Bunda said.

Brim said animals that will be exposed to cold temperatures shouldn't be kept in heated barns because it inhibits the growth of hair, putting the large animal at a disadvantage in freezing weather.

"Their hair coat provides a lot of insulation," Brim said of large animals, including horses. "As long as they stay dry, their hair provides a heat buffer. When that buffer is compromised they can't maintain their body heat."

But the snow that clings to animals' backs isn't harmful, both Brim and Towne said.

"It actually creates another layer of insulation," Towne said.

What about when the snow melts?

"Most of the time when the snow melts, the animal will shake it off and dry out," Brim said. "The worst conditions are when it's rainy and freezing."

For now, Bunda hasn't had to contend with anything freezing - except one of his three Blue Harvester grain silos.

"It freezes up when it gets real cold like this for four or five days and there's no sunlight. The sunlight will warm the metal," Bunda said. "Running a space heater for about six hours thaws it out, and it's working now, but it's the first time it happened in 20 years."

Automatic waterers flow freely, thanks to heaters and preventive maintenance.

"We make sure the water doesn't run over (the sides of the wearer) or it'll freeze," Bunda said. "I dump potash it's fertilizer around the waterer when there's ice. It melts the ice, keeps the cows from slipping and sliding around the water, and when it melts, it runs into the fields. Plus it's salt free."

Brim said slips on the ice were the No. 1 reason she's called to care for large animals during the winter.

"It's pretty rare that I deal with livestock issues in the winter, but when I do it's because they slipped on some ice and broke a leg, or something along those lines," Brim said. "As long as they have a wind break of any kind they'll be OK. Some get along fine without a shelter even, they just put their butts to the wind and hunker down."

Contact Lindsey Mutchler at (515) 573-2141 or lindsey@messengernews.net