Keeping Livestock Cool
The 95 degree weather we roped in recently was hard on both horse and rider probably because weren’t acclimated to it. Given the heat wave that has hit most of the nation weather had been the topic of many horse and cattle blogs. When Open Range returns some interesting techniques others use to cool livestock down. Helping livestock weather heat spells has been a hot topic on national ag web sites. More than 1,000 heat records have been set or tied in July. Dairy cattle produce less milk in hot weather and beef cattle without adequate shade can suffer heatstroke. The toll nationally for beef cattle deaths is nearing 6000 .Some operators install misting systems and fans with generators as back up shouldthe electricity go out. The team roping I was at provided misters for the corrente cattle in the chutes and riders used old cowboy tricks (like putting a pinch of salt in feed so their horses would drink water and remained hydrated). Keeping electrolytes on hand and animals out of direct sunlight as much as possible plus periodically hosings helped keeped mosst rope horses cool. County Fairs are right around the corner. Sheep, pigs and chickens are extremely susceptible to hot temperatures causing owners to opt for a variety of cooling methods, some conventional, others a tad organic, like the woman who told me she likes rubbing vinegar on a sheeps ears and legs to cool them off and loves the added benefit in that it keep the knats at bay. Whatever works!
