Preparing Livestock for Natural Disasters in Our Area

If you have livestock, it's not enough to prepare your family for natural disasters. You have to plan for your livestock and pets too.

Shelter

We have made sure that all the animals can get into a shed or barn in blizzards or thunderstorms. We have shelters for ducks, chickens and all the outside cats and dogs. We don't have to be here for them to get in.

Food

In a crisis of any kind, supplies become short. For our cattle, we have several bags of alfalfa cubes and some hay bales stored. This also covers the goats and would help with those who have horses. You must keep the "stored" feed and hay in a dry and mold free environment. Check on your supplies often and rotate newer feed for older as the months go by.

Feed grains for our chickens and ducks are in airtight containers. Keep it dry and mold free. Check on stored feed regularly.

Water

No electricity in a natural disaster means no pump for watering livestock. We are working on a hand pump for use in an emergency. If you can't put a hand pump in somewhere, look for large vessels that can hold several hundred gallons of water. Farm stores have huge plastic tanks that can be used as storage. Again, change the water out on occasion. Remember to store enough for pets and chickens and so forth.

Medicine for animals

In a natural disaster, animals can suffer from injuries and stress. You may have some livestock on special medicines daily. Make sure you have extra supplies of medicines on hand. Rotate as the dates on the labels dictate. If you have some that need refrigeration, make sure to make plans for how to keep it cool.

Flood waters and higher ground

You may have to open lots, fields (yours or neighbors with permission) or even your yard to let livestock get to higher ground. Flood waters kill livestock. If they are going to be on higher ground that is away from you, you'll have to have a plan on how you will get feed to them. People used boats to haul hay in the last flood here.

Livestock will probably know something is going to happen before you do. Remember to use care, they may be stressed and nervous before an event happens.