Keeping livestock warm: Losses create habits.

Thanks to the hard-won experience from harsh winters, the people of Tuyen Quang's highlands have developed habits of keeping their livestock warm and safe.

Báo Nông nghiệp Việt Nam•10/12/2025

In the early days of winter, fog blankets the mountain slopes, and the biting cold seeps through the houses in Tuyen Quang , where poor families still entrust their entire livelihood to a pair of buffaloes or cows.

In mountainous communes like Thang Mo, livestock are not only a source of draft power and livelihood, but also the only "savings" in case of illness or misfortune. Therefore, whenever severe cold weather strikes, the biggest worry for the people here is not the biting cold outside, but whether their buffalo and cattle can survive the freezing winter days.

Hau Dung Minh's sturdy cattle shed. Photo: Trung Hieu.

The sturdy cattle shed of Mr. Hau Dung Minh. Photo: Trung Hieu.

Protecting livestock from the cold and hunger has thus become a matter of survival, meticulously cared for by the villagers, because even a small mistake can wipe out an entire year's savings. In mountainous areas, keeping cattle and buffalo alive through the winter is also about preserving livelihoods and maintaining hope for future harvests.

According to Mr. Hau Dung Minh from Ha Gia village, keeping the cattle warm during winter has now become a familiar part of the villagers' lives. The makeshift barns of the past have been replaced with sturdy, windproof shelters. Whenever the cold wind blows, people add more bundles of straw and tarpaulins, patching up any gaps to keep the barn warm. The cattle are also given additional cornmeal, bran, and other nutritious feed to maintain their strength.

“During extremely cold days, you absolutely must not give the cows cold water to drink; you must boil it to a warm temperature. And the colder it gets, the less you should take the cows outside the house. In this mountainous region, the whole family depends on the buffalo and the cow; if they die from the cold, the whole family will lose their livelihood,” Minh shared while scooping handfuls of grass for the cows to eat.

Memories of harsh winters remain vivid in the mind of Mr. Tran Quang Hung, a specialist in the Economic Department of Thang Mo commune. He recalls that in the past, even low temperatures rarely caused significant damage. Then, the cold spells of 2007-2008 struck, causing many cattle herds to freeze to death. That loss served as a wake-up call, forcing people to change their way of thinking and doing things, becoming more cautious in keeping their livestock warm during the winter months.

People prepare cornmeal to supplement the nutrition of livestock during the winter. Photo: Trung Hieu.

Locals prepare cornmeal to supplement the nutrition of livestock during the winter. Photo: Trung Hieu.

Since then, every year the commune has started a plan to prevent hunger and cold right from the first monsoon season. Each village and each household holds meetings, receives reminders, and signs commitments to implement measures to protect livestock, from stockpiling concentrated and roughage feed, sheltering barns, to not grazing when temperatures drop low. Families facing difficulties have even been provided with tarpaulins to keep their barns warm.

"Nowadays, people are much more proactive. Traditional wooden barns with thatched roofs have gradually been replaced by sturdy, enclosed concrete barns that prevent any drafts. When winter returns, this careful approach will help the buffalo and cattle withstand the cold of the highlands," said Mr. Tran Quang Hung.

According to experts from the Economic Department of Thang Mo commune, in recent years, protecting livestock from the cold is no longer a seasonal task but has become a crucial part of developing safe and efficient livestock farming. Experience has shown that villages that proactively stockpile feed and prepare sturdy shelters tend to minimize winter losses. Meanwhile, in areas where people are careless and unprepared, livestock easily die from the cold, causing significant losses in property and labor for the people.

Recently, the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Tuyen Quang province has requested specialized units to closely monitor weather conditions so that when severe cold spells occur, they can inform and warn people, helping them to proactively respond. In addition, communes and wards need to ensure that 100% of livestock farming households have windproof shelters with sufficient space to keep animals indoors during severe cold days.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/giu-am-cho-gia-suc-mat-mat-hinh-thanh-nen-thoi-quen-d787626.html