102 today- How do you keep your goats cool?

holleegee · #1 07/19/06, 01:28 PM

It is suppose to get to 102 today with heat index of 115. I have a sprinkler on the metal roof of the goat house and that has cooled it off a little. (They don't seem to be uncomfortable) I have been changing their water several times a day to keep it cool. This is my first summer with goats, do they tolerate the heat very well? What do you do to keep them from getting overheated?

Sarah J · #2 07/19/06, 01:30 PM

Mine don't seem to notice the heat at all. They're out of the sun, of course, but as long as they have fresh drinking water (we have an automatic waterer that is truly a Godsend!) and a shady place to be, they're fine.

Sarah

christij · #3 07/19/06, 01:39 PM

My two young NDs don't seem to mind -- I even see them out grazing in the sun or laying near the front gate! If it was me I would be in the shade -- ah to be a young goat!

nehimama · #4 07/19/06, 01:47 PM

Mine don't seem to mind the heat, either. Heat index lately has been in the very high 90s and low 100s. I've seen them lounging in the full sun (even the black Nubian!) They do have quality shade available; hardly ever use it. I do make sure they get fresh, cool water several times during the day, and they REALLY appreciate that.

NeHi Mama

GoatLove · #5 07/19/06, 01:51 PM

My boys are under huge pine trees and don't seem to notice the heat at all. I was just saying to my husband yesterday "my poor goats, they must be so hot". They are tough and amazing creatures, aren't they! I guess that is why they have been around for so many years.

tinetine'sgoat · #6 07/19/06, 01:55 PM

Mine just lay in the shade and wander over to see what you have when you bring them cool water. Don't seem to mind it much.

GoldenWood Farm · #7 07/19/06, 02:24 PM

If I can I normally hose them down. I only do it with my milkers normally as they get hotter what with milking. If anything I just mist everybody with the hose but mine just stay in the shade or the barn when it gets to hot. I also have fans going in my barn and keep them pointed at the goats.

Helps air flow, keep flies down, and keep barn cooled off. Lol not to mention it works wonders during milking (no more flies landing on me!

)

MotherClucker

punksheepshower · #8 07/19/06, 03:29 PM

keep them sheared if you can. also, we hang a box fan from the top of every pen that points right down on the goats and lambs

topside1 · #9 07/19/06, 06:43 PM

My girls (Boers, Nubians, LaMancha's) don't even seem to notice the increase in heat here in Tennessee. Most of their day is lounging in direct sunlight with highs in the mid 90's. Shade is available everywhere but they just stick to their normal routine and bask in the sun, go figure goats....Tennessee John

KimM · #10 07/19/06, 11:15 PM

Fans in every stall, pen has 3 nice shade trees.

witchysharon · #11 07/20/06, 07:56 AM

Fans in stalls, but mine don't seem to mind. they lay out in the sun even though there is plenty of shade. i do give them equine electrolytes every day during weather like this though. maybe that has something to do with it. Plenty of cool fresh water. I make sure the buckets are full and there are 9 buckets in various locations so there is water always available.

moosemaniac · #12 07/20/06, 08:21 AM

Fan in the barn; allow the goats to go in and out at will. I also have a gadget you hook up to the hose with 6 misting nozzles. You hang that up and it cools the area down by several degrees.

Ruth

ozark_jewels · #13 07/20/06, 10:36 AM

We have had a heat index of 110* and higher all this week. Physically the herd is doing fine, its their milk production thats suffering. They have lots of large oak trees to lounge under, but its so hot, they aren't eating as much as normal. Milking is when its the most miserable, especially evening milking, starting at 5:30. We have two fans in the holding pen and two in the milking parlour, but its still hot. My Alpine buck, Pierre was the smartest of the lot yesterday......he stood in the pond and chewed his cud!

Its supposed to cool down tomorrow with a chance of RAIN.

mary,tx · #14 07/20/06, 10:48 AM

We are in Central Texas, where it has been very HOT this week. I've never done anything special for the goats, and they do fine. They are, however, out on pasture, and have trees to get under, or can go back in the barn if they prefer. And, they are Nubians. I figure Nubians came from Africa originally, right? How much hotter can Texas be?
mary

TexCountryWoman · #15 07/20/06, 12:25 PM

Mary, it has been hot as ...well, TEXAS! I am in central Texas too and it has been 104-110 and up for a couple of weeks now....102 in the evening when I milk "cooling" off to the mid 90s at night........I change out their water several times a day....complete water changes....I have two first fresheners that need 3 milkings a day..heavy milkers..and I just can't milk when it is so much over 100 degrees.....so they are just being milked twice a day, Bless their hearts! They don't seems to want to eat as much, and I worry about a group of spring doelings that I want to breed this fall....I just wormed everything this morning with Cydectin and will start another run of DiMethox....I am sure worms and cocci are running rampant.........the goats are under alot of stress.....mine are panting alot, particularly the milkers. Now my Boers and Boer crosses are doing great....I am putting Boer blood into some of my milking stock as they do so well, a little experiment. People seem to like those and they are so heat tolerant.

One of the biggest problems is my LGD, all he wants to do is mess with the goat water, so I hose him down every day.........he needs a swimming pool, a kiddy pool, so he will probably get one asap!

jdoss · #16 07/20/06, 02:42 PM

I have two of the $15.99 ceiling fans in my goat barn. They seem to help a lot. They were bought at WalMart and also have a light on them. Seem to work very well!

cmharris6002 · #17 07/20/06, 07:38 PM

It has been over 100* for over a week now and my goats don't seem to mind at all (I do give them pleanty of fresh water) As a matter of fact they went into a strong heat and four have been bred! (Christmas babies

)

Freeholder · #18 07/21/06, 12:12 AM

Mine have shade, and clean water at all times, but I still see them laying out in the hot sun sometimes. I have a mostly black Kinder buck kid who lays out in the sun, flat on his side -- first time I saw him doing that I was afraid he was dead, because it just seemed inconceivable that a live, healthy goat would be laying out there in the full sun! Most of the others are a little more sensible and seek shade during the hottest parts of the day. They are pretty lethargic, too -- but in the morning and evening when it's cooler they have a great time running around and acting silly! (We are at a high enough elevation -- over 4,000 feet -- that it cools off at night no matter how hot it was during the day.)

Electrolytes may be a good idea, but I think if they have free access to their mineral mix they probably don't really need the electrolytes all that much.

Kathleen

moosemaniac · #19 07/21/06, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdoss

I have two of the $15.99 ceiling fans in my goat barn. They seem to help a lot. They were bought at WalMart and also have a light on them. Seem to work very well!

ceiling fans....why didn't I think of that? I'll have to check that out!

Ruth