Keeping livestock cool during scorching temperatures

UNION, WV (WVNS) — When temperatures soar, livestock owners need a place to keep their animals cool during daylight hours.

Whether it is cattle, sheep, pigs or horses, many people in West Virginia make their livings through livestock.

Though these animals are mainly used for food production, ranchers and farmers still want to keep them as safe and healthy as possible.

Chelsea Cook, County Executive Director for Monroe County’s Farm Service Agency, said there are several ways to provide relief.

“Trees [and] shade – that’s number one. Trees are going be your easiest sources. Sometimes if you have a building, that will help. As long as you get where the sun’s not baking on them, that seems to help a lot,” said Cook. “Also, a fresh water source. Making sure you keep those water troughs really clean, and keeping a fresh flow through them, and not letting them stand stagnant helps a lot.”

The dairy cattle at Belle Vue Farm in Monroe County have shade trees available down their pasture line.

Cook said this provides relief from the heat, so the animals will not suffer as much.

“Whenever you don’t have enough shade some of the biggest things you’ll see is you’ll see a loss in weight gain, or, in this case with it being dairy cattle, you’ll see a loss in milk production,” said Cook. “The heat stress will affect them like it does people – you don’t wanna eat, you don’t wanna move around, and you just wanna go find something cool.”

Livestock can be lost during high temperatures due to heat stress.

Cook said there is another overlooked risk as well.

“The extreme heat can weigh on them. It can cause sickness in them,” said Cook. “Another thing to keep in mind is with these little pop-up showers you will have lightning, and that is a big risk with livestock that you will lose them to lightning strikes.”

Cook said the danger of storms and lightning can affect large portions of livestock at once.

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