Summer heat brings tough challenges for your farm, learn how to keep your livestock healthy during summer. High temperatures and thick humidity quickly stress your animals. Heat stress lowers milk production, slows growth, and threatens overall herd health. You must act early to protect your cattle, horses, and poultry. Watch your animals closely for heavy panting or unusual lethargy. We put together a quick guide to help your livestock beat the heat.
Follow these simple steps to keep your livestock healthy during summer:
- Provide endless water: Clean, cool drinking water is critical. Check your troughs twice a day. Scrub them weekly to prevent dangerous algae growth.
- Create deep shade: Animals need a break from the blazing sun. Build sturdy run-in sheds or string up UV-blocking shade cloths in your open pastures.
- Adjust feeding times: Digestion naturally creates body heat. Feed your livestock during the cool early morning or late evening hours to keep their internal temperatures down.
- Improve air flow: Stagnant air makes barns feel like ovens. Install heavy-duty livestock fans and open all vents to keep fresh air moving.
- Offer essential minerals: Sweating drains vital electrolytes from your animals. Keep free-choice salt and mineral blocks available at all times.
- Control the flies: Biting insects multiply in the summer heat and cause severe stress. Use fly traps, sprays, or feed-through fly control to give your animals relief.
When the summer heat hits hard, H&S Feed and Country Store has everything you need to keep your animals safe. We carry heavy-duty water tanks, premium mineral blocks, and specialized summer feed blends. Need sturdy fans or fly control? We stock dependable farm supplies to keep your barns comfortable. Our Diamond Trail Feed location mills fresh, high-quality grain to keep your herd eating well. You can pick up bagged feed at our Oskaloosa headquarters or schedule a bulk delivery from our Indianola branch. Stop by H&S Feed today, and let our expert team help you build the perfect summer care plan.