Cattle with no shade

[Hfd Cattle]

I'm amazed at how many cattle there are in fields where there is no shade for them .
Surely it can't be good for them or even good stockmanship .
With the up and coming 'extreme heat' we are being told about I would have thought we have a duty as livestock farmers to give cattle some shade to stand under don't we ?

 

[Fubar]

I moved mine from an unshaded field to one with some trees to get under. Checked them in the middle of the day, sun blazing, and where do you suppose they were lay down?
But at least they've got the option.

 

[BRB John]

Yeah cows are funny most of our have access to shelter and shade but few ever choose it when you'd think they'd want it the most.

 

[Wombat]

Ours have zero interest in sitting in the shade. We have quite a lot of trees in the fields we have both the cows and calves and the stores in. Can guarantee in the height of the sun they are all laid in the middle of the field getting a tan been like that for the last month.

don’t know what we will do in a bit though as pretty much every tree on the farm is ash and they will all be dead with die back in 10yrs

 

[M-J-G]

It's all very well and good to give shade and shelter but it's pretty difficult to make them use it when they usually opt to stretch out in the sun

 

[Welsh hill boy]

I find that cattle mostly choose to lie out the sun, sheep on the other hand are all hidden away in the shade once it gets hot

 

[Hfd Cattle]

I moved mine from an unshaded field to one with some trees to get under. Checked them in the middle of the day, sun blazing, and where do you suppose they were lay down?
But at least they've got the option.

Yes I think it's more about giving the option . I opened up a shed yesterday for some stores to lay and they spent all night in there !
We are lucky here to have plenty of shaded areas ......but they still preferred the shed !

 

[kiwi pom]

Yes I think it's more about giving the option . I opened up a shed yesterday for some stores to lay and they spent all night in there !
We are lucky here to have plenty of shaded areas ......but they still preferred the shed !

Wouldn't it be warmer in a shed at night?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Our cattle will actively avoid shade, unlike sheep.

 

[glasshouse]

Shade is full of flies

 

[Hfd Cattle]

Wouldn't it be warmer in a shed at night?

Probably ...... but it was more to give them another option in the day !
........none so strange as cattle !!

 

[tinsheet]

Ours will always seek shade, got alot of woody area's copse 's etc, they love it in the heat of the day, mainly black cattle mind!

 

[Farmer Roy]

While I believe shade is important in extreme conditions ( you spend a summer out here me me you’ll see how much I value shade ) & animal welfare concerns should be at the forefront of management, it does strike me that cattle & many other animals can be conditioned to their environment & selected for their suitability & adaptability to conditions.

the massive grazing herds on the Mongolian / Eurasian steppes, the Bison on the North American prairies, the sheer numbers & diversity on the southern African grasslands - these animals all thrived for millennia without much shade, shelter or housing . . .
Although a relatively recent introduction, cattle have adapted remarkably well to the vast open grasslands & plains of Australia’s north as well







there is a basic rule of thumb for buying bulls for commercial beef breeding herds here - only buy bulls that have been “paddock” raised, as that’s the environment you want them to work in. Bulls that have been shedded & fed, might look pretty, but put them out with the cows & they’re too soft to work . . .

 

[Nearly]

Ours have the shade of trees in one field. They have avoided it so far.
The flies live in the trees.

 

[Fendt65]

Plenty of shade in the kitchen and yet she still moans!

 

[Farmer Roy]

The more critical thing with cattle in the heat, is a plentiful supply of cool, clean water. Cattle can drink an enormous amount of water when it’s hot.
None of this using an old bathtub fed by an IBC & a 1” hose rubbish either, but high flow rates with plenty of capacity

2” supply pipes are pretty much normal here for troughs in any northern areas

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Shade is full of flies

Exactly, even though we don't have fly pressure, cattle seem to know it instinctively

 

[Hfd Cattle]

...........begining to wish I hadn't mentioned it now

 

[Kiwi Pete]

...........begining to wish I hadn't mentioned it now

It's comforting to have some backup from others though. Lots of shade, no shade.. cattle will be fine if they have decent grub (not lamb-finishing tucker) and lots of water.

 

[cows sh#t me to tears]

Can't be that "extreme" if your cattle choose no shade. 35°+ days and ours are fed in the paddock with a 300 foot shade shed. Once they've eaten its straight under the roof. 4 troughs in the paddock. 2 under the shed in the shade too.