How our Farm Animals Tolerate Heat
posted on
August 24, 2023
The last several days have been exceptionally warm here in southern Wisconsin. Not just warm but humid. This has the potential to add a little stress to the animals on the farm. How do our animals tolerate heat stress? How do we deal with it as farmers?
Like many stressors that exist, the length of time experienced has everything to do with whether or not it is a problem. Our critters are fairly adapted to this part of the country. This means that they are uncomfortable but can handle some heat in the summer. They may not do as well in a hotter climate down south. Even within breeds, there will be some adapted to warmer or cooler climates.
Our pigs do very well as long as they have some shade and/or some water by their trough to turn into mud. They actually prefer the mud because it is highly effective at keeping them cool. Pigs don't sweat. So we pay special attention to making sure they have some of these amenities when it gets warm. Another thing that happens is the amount of food the pigs eat decreases. This is due to the heat produced by metabolism.
The sheep are interesting. The same layer of wool that protects them during the cold winter months also protects them from the sun and heat to some extent. They still love the shade. And during these really hot and humid days, you can find them enjoying the relief the shade provides.
Cattle may have the biggest variance between different breeds. Our cows are Red Devons. They develop a heavy coat in winter but actually shed it off by the time the heat rolls around in summer. They don't really have a problem with grazing out in the sun as long as they have some shade to shelter in a few times throughout the day.
They are a bit similar to myself. I can handle the heat well as long as I have a few breaks. This week we made sure that the cows are fenced with access to a really nice shade tree if they need to go sip a cold drink and relax. :)
While this isn't the most comfortable time of year, the animals will be fine. They will slow down, not eat as much and sit around in the shade. That's alright. We will let them grow a bit slower for a week or so. It's natural.
