Practical Advice for SUMMER LIVESTOCK CARE
Summer's heat leaves many of us with an increased appreciation for cooler weather. Humans have air conditioning, swimming pools, and ice cream shops to help us keep cool, but what about livestock? How do they adapt and take care of themselves during extreme heat – and what can we do to help?
How Animals Handle Heat
Like humans, some livestock tolerate heat better than others, and each species has adaptive strategies that help it manage the high temperatures. Sheep and goats tend to tolerate hot weather quite well, especially fat-tailed breeds of sheep, such as the Karakul. Their wool coats, which to us look profoundly uncomfortable during the summer months, provide wonderful insulation against extreme temperature – the heat never makes it down to the sheep’s skin. Shearing in the spring, before the onset of hot weather, will prevent the sheep from experiencing sunburn, which would be a risk if
