Heat

[stifflej]

Will the heat (90+ the last few days) make cattle eat less? Mine seem to have slowed down eating the grain we give them.

Thanks.

[Ronney]

Yes it does in the same way as we don't want to eat too much through the heat in the height of summer. I don't grain feed mine, they are all pasture grazed but in times of high heat and humidity there won't be a cow or sheep to be seen - they are all standing under the trees or under the willows in the river trying to keep cool.

Cattle and sheep normally do very little grazing at night but during the heat I've noticed that they make up for their lack of grazing in the late evening.

Cheers,
Ronnie

[Callieslamb]

Mine are out grazing at the first whiff of a breeze, but otherwise, they are in the shade. They do slow down the eating in the heat - just like I do.

[mamahen]

Our holstein calves still lay in the sun! The heat index is 100 and they are laying beside the manure pile! The goats and mule are in the shade, the calves will go to the shade and stand, but will only lay in the sun!

I've been going out & pouring buckets of water from the spring on them.. They must like it, cause they come for more!

[travlnusa]

Yes they will eat less. Their rumen produces a ton of heat, thus they eat less. You will see barns on dairies with large fans on one end, or free stall barns with fans above. Even better if they are running misters of water.

Intake will go down, and production will also drop.