We were blessed with a mild, wet Spring here in Southern Kentucky but Summer has arrived and the heat is on! We have had several days of 90+ temperatures this week and the forecast has a heat advisory for tomorrow and Saturday with the heat index possibly reaching 105. It is difficult for us to cope with the heat and it is especially difficult for our livestock.
Market hogs, goats, lambs and steers are fed for a specific show and and most people work to get their animals to a specific weight and having increased temperature can result in decreased feed consumption and failing to reach the desired weight for a show. Taking the time to watch your animals eat, to see that they are hungry and ready to eat with a good appetite should be part of your daily routine. Noticing a change in eating habits early makes it easier to diagnose the problem and make changes. Animals often won't eat as much when they are hot, so feeding early morning and late afternoon, preferably at the same time daily, may help in increase consumption.
Water consumption is always important for our livestock and especially those being fed for the show ring. For lambs and goats, we use individual concrete-floored pens with individual small buckets of water that we empty, rinse, and refill both morning and night and often during the day when it is extremely hot or during a temperature change. Its simple, we don't like to drink dirty water and the animals would rather have clean, cool water to drink also.
Hogs are especially susceptible to heat distress and even death if they get too hot so it is very important to monitor them during high temperatures. We also stall hogs on concrete-floored pens covered with pine shavings which provides a cool, easy to clean floor, with added protection from the shavings. Fans help to cool the penned area for hogs and misters added to fans can lower the temperature by several degrees. A simple PVC pipe waterer can provide water for hogs and keep the water fresh and clean. No water lines are needed, just fill the pipe daily.
One of the easiest ways to cool beef cattle stalled or haltered in the barn is with a Sullivan's Supply fogger. The fogger attaches to the blower hose and provides a mist that you can apply to the cattle. Fogging the cattle several times a day will help to keep them cool during excessive summer heat.
It is important to keep your animals on the same feed. If you notice a decrease in consumption don't change the feed, change the environment. Do what you can to make your animals comfortable during the hottest summer days. Shade, concrete floors, water, fans and misters work well together to lower temperatures inside a barn. I realize that everyone doesn't have concrete and we only have a few feet in our barn. I believe it's all about doing the best job you can with what you have. You don't have to have the nicest barn and the latest equipment to have champion animals. It's more about the time and work you put into that animal.
If sudden increase in heat and humidity has your animal eating less, I have a few tips from our experience that might help.
* Feed during the coolest time of the day, early morning and late evening
* Add fans to the barn to lower temperature.
* Add misters to fans if needed.
* Change or refresh water during the day if possible.
Our most drastic move to increase feed consumption following an increase in temperature was to move our son's market goat into the basement of our house, which is air conditioned. At approximately 3 weeks before the Kentucky State Fair, the temperature increased to the upper 90's with high humidity. The goat just began to eat less and the temperature remained high and we knew that lower temperatures were the key to reaching the goal weight. It's not anything I thought we would ever do, but having the goat in the basement for a few weeks is a great memory and the goat went on to win the Kentucky State Fair.
The Kentucky State Fair begins in 4 weeks so livestock exhibitors have time to polish those showmanship skills and get their animals to the desired weight and condition. It's great to start and end the day in the barn with family and project animals, making memories, building relationships, and teaching responsibility. Stay as cool as possible and good luck to all!
