Heat stress

Jdunn55 · Jun 17, 2022

How does everyone else cope in hot weather?

The following isn't going to be very popular but I've done what I think is best for the cows

I've shut the field gate and opened the cubicle and feed passage doors today so they don't have to walk very far, have better access to water and shade

Is there anything else anyone does?

Has anyone made up a misting device? Was thinking some sprayer nozzles along a piece of alkathene pipe connected to the water outlet of the plate cooler around the collecting yard could be a good idea to keep them cool?

davidroberts30 · Jun 17, 2022

Jdunn55 said:
How does everyone else cope in hot weather?

The following isn't going to be very popular but I've done what I think is best for the cows

I've shut the field gate and opened the cubicle and feed passage doors today so they don't have to walk very far, have better access to water and shade

Is there anything else anyone does?

Has anyone made up a misting device? Was thinking some sprayer nozzles along a piece of alkathene pipe connected to the water outlet of the plate cooler around the collecting yard could be a good idea to keep them cool?

if you set your nozzles up over a passage and yard then the yard will be easier to scrape too

Tim G · Jun 17, 2022

Would the plate cooler water be too warm? I wouldn't want to put anything on the outlet that would restrict the outflow and therefore the cooling ability.
I have seen misters somewhere, but connected to the mains.

davidroberts30 · Jun 17, 2022

Tim G said:
Would the plate cooler water be too warm? I wouldn't want to put anything on the outlet that would restrict the outflow and therefore the cooling ability.
I have seen misters somewhere, but connected to the mains.

a very fine spray would collect a little heat on the way to the floor

buffalo_soldier · Jun 17, 2022

Sit in the shade and open a can of Thatchers.

davidroberts30 · Jun 17, 2022

buffalo_soldier said:
Sit in the shade and open a can of Thatchers.

he has fresians not wagu

Jdunn55 · Jun 17, 2022

Tim G said:
Would the plate cooler water be too warm? I wouldn't want to put anything on the outlet that would restrict the outflow and therefore the cooling ability.
I have seen misters somewhere, but connected to the mains.

The water currently goes into a water trough and is fine but I see what you mean regarding restricting output causing slower flow and therefore hotter water on the plate cooler, that would then mean the bulk tank working harder in the heat etc

Hadn't really thought about that, guess it would be better connected to the borehole then

jondear · Jun 17, 2022

Chill out only a day !

Jdunn55 · Jun 17, 2022

jondear said:
Chill out only a day !

I'm not worried like that, like you say its only a day, I'm running out of grass and will need to buffer in a day or two anyway so feeding a few bales isn't the end of the world

Regarding the mister I was just thinking for the future, we seem to get quite a few days every year now where its very hot and I just think it will help the cows

Cows 'n grass · Jun 17, 2022

Milk jerseys. They're in they're element on hot sunny days!

Sandpit Farm · Jun 17, 2022

I would avoid misting the cows. It will increase the local humidity which will increase the THI (Temperature Humidity Index) which will exacerbate the problem. If we lived in the USA or Pakistan, we would be misting cows due to much lower humidity in the environment.

Outside, we have to hope for breeze and accept a reduction in fertility. You can potentially split group size to avoid bunching and treat for flies to help with that. You could maybe prioritise paddocks with tree or hedge shade.

Inside, we have to create air movement. We can either do that by making sure the building is ventilating properly with proper outlet in the ridge 0.1m2 per cow and at least double the inlet in the sides. After this, we have to consider fans to expel stale air and create movement onto the cows backs.

At milking, we can fan cows in collecting yards or bring cows in in smaller groups to minimise milking time and bunching.

Sandpit Farm · Jun 17, 2022

The important measure for an animal feeling ‘hot’ is not just the temperature, but the combined effect of temperature and humidity. It is therefore more descriptive in warm weather to use the Temperature Humidity Index (THI) to describe the ‘temperature’ as felt by the cow. As the air temperature rises, it gets more difficult for animals to dump heat energy (created in the rumen as a by-product of digestion) as radiant energy (the warm body is a radiator). The body’s natural reaction to rising temperature is to dump energy as moisture. Cows don’t sweat, so they dump more moisture in the breath.

At 12 oC cows emit 500g/hr as moisture in respiration…. = 12 l/d

At 24 oC cows emit 1000 g/h as moisture in respiration…… = 24 l/d

So a building with 200 cows at an air temperature of 24 oC will be dumping 4,800 l/d into the building atmpsphere………4.8 tonnes. Every day. The situation now is that not only is the environment warm, but damp as well. Increasing moisture levels without a rise in temperature will give a rising THI.

THI > 68 hot for cows = 22 oC at 60% relative humidity (RH).

THI > 80 hot for humans = 31 oC at 60% relative humidity

The issue for U.K. producers however is that our climate is damp, and can frequently be 70-80% RH. Note too that the air temperature inside our cattle buildings will typically be 2 – 4 oC higher than outside temperatures.

Table 1. Impact of THI on dairy cow fertility and yield

THI	T oC *	IMPACT
57	14	Reduced Oestrus behaviours
65	20	Conception rate down
68	22	Milk yield, fat, proteins down
70	24	Behavioural changes, respiration and heart rates up

*At 60% RH

Sandpit Farm · Jun 17, 2022

Managing heat stress

This is a predictable problem, so what to do?

Maximise moisture management; floors, drainage.
Check building design to maximise natural ventilation. See examples below. Are inlets and/or outlets compromised, too small, or non-existent?
Provide good access to clean water in adequate quantity and quality. Hot cows need to increase water consumption to help dump energy.
Paint out rooflights, particularly on south facing roof. ENSURE TOTAL SAFETY OF OPERATION.
Clean roof materials absorb less solar energy that dirty /dark roof materials.
Tin roofing, too common on youngstock buildings and lean-tos, increases energy gain underneath the roof
Address any causes of overstocking. Space is good.
Check diets; balanced nutrition can significantly reduce cow body temperatures
Consider fans for cooling, and misting in well-ventilated high risk spaces; collecting yards

FAN BASICS

Install fans working with the prevailing wind direction
Install fans in series; beware creating a hot-spot of warm, moist dirty air still inside the building
Get air around the cattle, not over their heads
Balance fan types and capacity to power supply and costs
Always install automatic control; it will save money. Temperature and humidity sensors.

Sandpit Farm · Jun 17, 2022

Just referencing AHDB and Jamie Robertson for the info above.

In the pit · Jun 17, 2022

Rain Saturday and Sunday so go about your day instead of creating a problem where there probaly isn’t one

buffalo_soldier · Jun 17, 2022

Must admit its a different world for you southerners.

Had the silage team here since half six tryna get 2nd cut in before the rain

Also got fert and slurry going on to try and catch the rain

So I guess I'll get at least one thing correct today

.
Best bit is I'm still sat in the shade drinking Thatchers

Sandpit Farm · Jun 17, 2022

buffalo_soldier said:
Must admit its a different world for you southerners.

Had the silage team here since half six tryna get 2nd cut in before the rain
Also got fert and slurry going on to try and catch the rain

So I guess I'll get at least one thing correct today.
Best bit is I'm still sat in the shade drinking Thatchers

If you are drinking Thatchers, you must be a Southerner at heart

pappuller · Jun 17, 2022

Jdunn55 said:
How does everyone else cope in hot weather?

The following isn't going to be very popular but I've done what I think is best for the cows

I've shut the field gate and opened the cubicle and feed passage doors today so they don't have to walk very far, have better access to water and shade

Is there anything else anyone does?

Has anyone made up a misting device? Was thinking some sprayer nozzles along a piece of alkathene pipe connected to the water outlet of the plate cooler around the collecting yard could be a good idea to keep them cool?

You are rapidly running toward a high cost input system with a low to medium output

Manney · Jun 17, 2022

In the pit said:
Rain Saturday and Sunday so go about your day instead of creating a problem where there probaly isn’t one

This man talks sense. It not even that hot!

Jdunn55 · Jun 17, 2022

In the pit said:
Rain Saturday and Sunday so go about your day instead of creating a problem where there probaly isn’t one

I am, I thought fertility was the number one thing to get right?
There's no plan to put a mist system in today
It's for the future, was trying to help fertility by doing it so that when it's hot the cows don't suffer fertility wise

Rain wise I doubt there will be f**k all if the truth is known

Heat stress

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