23/05/2026
🥵 Heat Stress 🥵
The constant changing weather has us glued to our weather apps, and cross checking with other apps just to make sure we believe that we are due more rain 🌧. We may not quite have had the heat waves we’ve been used to over the past few summers, but the temperatures are certainly ramping up this week. However, it is not just the temperature that we need to consider, but also humidity and decreased air movement 🌡
Heat stress is maybe something we don’t think should affect us in the UK, but it can happen when temperatures are above 25degrees 🌡 (Upper Critical Temperature for adult cattle). Cattle need to maintain their temperature tightly, and unlike us, cannot sweat effectively to do so. This means that we need to be taking provisions to help them stay cool. Heat stress can be seen clinically on a herd and individual basis, with some common signs being listed below.
Clinical signs associated to heat stress in Cattle:
• Herd level - reduced fertility, Reduced milk yields (may be seen as decreased growth rates in suckled animals), Change in milk composition and increased mastitis risk.
• Individual level - lethargic, increased or altered respiratory rate, Open mouth breathing, Excessive drooling, Refusing to lie down, Standing with heads down, Grouping closely together, Reduced feed intake and Changes in faeces.
Top Tips For Keeping Animals Cool:
• Try to keep handling and movement of animals to the morning when the weather is cooler. Although evenings are also cool, it can take cattle up to 6h to dissipate their heat load, making morning handling preferable. Vets will also thank you for not having to be out in our waterproofs in the middle of the day! 🕑
• Ensure constant access to water 💧, preferably with close by water sources to reduce distances walked in the heat 🚰
• House in fields with plenty of natural shade 🌳
• Install fans and sprinkler systems
• House in well ventilated barns with appropriate stocking density
• Ruminants 🐑🐄- feed at night – peak fermentation heat occurs 4-6hours post eating.
• Pigs 🐷– provide extra wallow space to ensure even the submissive animals in the herd can use the wallow.
