The Impact of Summer Heat on Pigs, Sheep and Cattle and How to Cope
Summer heat is a huge challenge for pigs, sheep and cattle, because high temperatures bring them many adverse effects. Do farmers know about these effects of high temperatures on livestock and how to cope with them? Let's take a look together.
1. Effects on pig herds and how to cope
1. Effects:
(1) High temperatures and high humidity in summer are suitable for the growth and reproduction of bacteria, making streptococcal disease, swine erysipelas and diarrhea prone to occur.
(2) Hot and humid climates are suitable for the reproduction of mycotoxins, so the control of mycotoxins should be made a key point of pig farming in summer.
(3) Mosquitoes and flies are highly active in summer, providing a vector for the occurrence of blood protozoan diseases, so summer is a season of high incidence of diseases such as eperythrozoonosis and toxoplasmosis.
(4) Summer is also a season of changeable weather. As the saying goes, “June weather is like a child's face”. Changeable weather causes great stress to pig herds, so special attention should be paid to diseases seriously affected by stress. In summer, diseases caused by conditional pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Haemophilus parasuis also occur more frequently.
(5) Summer temperatures are hot, and the general outdoor temperature can reach above 30~40°C, while the suitable temperature for sows is around 20°C. High heat can affect the feed intake of sows, causing malnutrition, and in pig farms with inadequate management, leftover feed in the troughs cannot be cleared in time, which can also cause mycotoxin infection in sows.
2. How to cope:
(1) Create good environmental conditions and do a good job of heat prevention and cooling in the pig house: insulation, ventilation, spraying (sprinkling) water, and wet curtain fan cooling.
(2) Adjust feed nutrition and strengthen feed management.
(3) Add anti-heat-stress drugs.
2. Effects on sheep flocks and how to cope
1. Effects:
(1) Excessive temperatures make heat dissipation difficult for sheep, affecting feed intake and feed conversion efficiency.
(2) Sheep are prone to losing body condition.
2. How to cope:
(1) Create suitable environmental conditions.
(2) Provide sufficient, cool and hygienic drinking water.
Water plays an important role in regulating body temperature, so under heat stress conditions, clean, sufficient and hygienic cool water must be provided, preferably deep well water, and care should be taken to change it frequently.
(3) Arrange feeding times reasonably.
Since temperatures are relatively lower in the morning and evening, sheep have a relatively stronger appetite, and feeding at these times can increase feed intake.
(4) Do not make the stocking density too high
In summer, avoid a rise in barn temperature caused by high stocking density. Generally, for sheep under 60 kg, the floor area per animal should be no less than 0.7 sq m; for sheep over 60 kg, no less than 1 sq m per animal is best.
(5) Increase the energy level in the diet
To alleviate the decline in production performance of sheep affected by high-temperature environments, a more nutrient-rich diet should be given in hot seasons, so as to make up for the insufficient energy intake caused by high temperatures.
(6) Supplement limiting amino acids in the diet
Under heat stress, the crude protein content of the diet needs to be adjusted. Feeding synthetic lysine instead of natural protein is beneficial to sheep. Supplementing 0.3% lysine in the diet can reduce heat consumption from the diet and significantly improve feed conversion rate and the production performance of sheep.
3. Effects on cattle herds and how to cope
1. Effects:
(1) It is easy to trigger infectious diseases.
(2) The estrous cycle of cattle is prolonged and the estrus duration is shortened.
(3) The milk production of dairy cows decreases, the reproduction rate decreases, and the resistance of dairy cows also declines, increasing the probability of illness.
2. How to cope:
(1) Shade with green trees, and provide ventilation and spraying.
(2) Adjust the diet and supplement electrolytes appropriately.
(3) Avoid feeding during the hottest hours, and feed and water frequently.
(4) Feed more clean feed that clears heat.
(5) Try to avoid high-yielding cows calving in summer.
(6) Frequently clean and wash the cattle barn, remove manure, provide ventilation, regularly rinse the cattle beds with clean water, and regularly rinse and brush the cattle's body, hindquarters and other unclean areas with clean water to reduce heat stress.