Summertime is a great time to be outdoors and enjoy the weather, but it can also be tough on your livestock. The hot sun and extreme temperatures can take their toll on animals, making them sick or even leading to death. That’s why it’s important to take some precautions in order to help keep them healthy during these months. In this article, we will discuss all the different ways you can help your livestock stay cool and hydrated during the summer!
Be Proactive
One of the best ways to help keep your animals healthy during the summer is to be proactive. This means taking steps to prevent them from getting sick in the first place. One way you can do this is by matching your livestock to the environment. For example, if you live in a hot, dry climate, then it’s not a good idea to keep cattle because they are better suited for cooler, wetter climates. Another way to be proactive is always having clean water available for your animals. This means making sure their waterers are clean and filled with fresh water on a regular basis.
Livestock Waterers
Providing clean water for your animals is one of the most important things you can do to help them stay healthy during the summer. There are a variety of different ways you can do this, but one of the most effective is using livestock waterers. These are devices that automatically fill up with water and dispense it into a trough or other container. This ensures that your animals always have access to fresh, clean water, even if you’re not around to fill their troughs yourself. So if you want to keep your livestock hydrated, livestock waterers are the way to go.
Shelters for Shade
You can also keep your animals cool during the hot summer months by providing them with shade shelters. This can be anything from a simple tarp stretched over their enclosure to a more permanent structure like a shed. Having somewhere for them to get out of the direct sun will help them cooler and prevent them from getting overheated.
Change Feeding Strategy
Another important way to help keep your animals healthy during the summer is to change your feeding strategy. One way to do this is by feeding them at different times of day that are typically cooler, like early in the morning or later at night. That way, they don’t have to eat in the hot sun and become overheated.
Don’t Handle Animals in the Heat
One last thing to keep in mind when it comes to helping your animals stay healthy during the summer is to avoid handling them in the heat. This includes things like moving them from one pasture to another or loading them into a trailer for transport. If possible, try to do these things in the cooler hours of the day or in the evening when it’s not so hot.
Summertime can be a difficult time for livestock, but you can help keep them healthy and hydrated with the right precautions. Make sure to provide plenty of shade and water and keep an eye on their body temperature. Contact SPI Plastics today if you have any questions or are interested in our livestock waterers! We would be happy to help.