Does bad weather affect milk production?
No, if a cow is given more feed and water in cold weather it should have no adverse effects on milk production. In cold weather, cows increase their consumption of feed by increasing the rate at which it travels through the digestive system. When they are consuming more feed they need more water as well. Its hot weather you need to be concerned about with regards to reduced milk production.. High-yielding dairy cattle have a very high body temperature. This is very helpful in cool weather, but it warm weather its a big problem. Warm weather can cause a reduced milk yield by 15-40% in addition to lowered milk fat content, reproductive issues, and more health problems. Feed intake decreases and the energy consumed by the cow is not used as efficiently for milk production because her energy goes to cooling herself through panting and sweating.
