 2026 has been one of the best summers in a long time - enough rain to keep everything green and
our spring water plentiful, and not too many days of extreme heat.
Keeping livestock healthy is the most important part of being a farmer,
and I am often asked how our cows, hogs, and laying hens do when it gets
hot. Heat stress can be really bad for certain animals.
Cows
has a heat tolerance of 65 degrees before their body starts to go into
survival mode and milk production dips. Cows are susceptible to heat
stress, so on the hottest days, we ensure they pasture with shade.
You’ll see them all congregating under one big tree, and I wonder what
they might be discussing. A labyrinth of underground piping carries
fresh well water straight to where they’re grazing. For evening
milking, we have a large ventilation fan blowing to keep them cool in
the barn.
Chickens do not seem to be as affected
by warm weather here on the farm. If we have a really long heat wave
they may drop slightly in egg production. Otherwise, they find shade
under or inside their trailer and seem to tolerate heat pretty well with
their downy feathers providing natural air circulation. Having Chief around to protect them helps them keep their cool too : }
Pigs
don’t have sweat glands and their lungs are too small for panting to
help them cool down like dogs. Their thick layer of fat also keeps heat
in. Fortunately, they love slopping around a lot of spring water for
making and laying in a cool mud hole. And what do farmers do to beat the heat? We drink lots of raw milk, regular and chocolate, for the protein and fresh taste to get us through the day. And, of course, we treat ourselves to ice cream! Thanks for supporting our family farm! Your satisfaction and good health is why we farm. As always, let me know if you have any questions. I love answering them. mel@farmsteadacres.com |
