Livestock Not Immune From Heat Stress
US - Farmers across the Midwest are using everything from electric fans to cold showers to keep their livestock from wilting in the oppressive heat, which is blamed for killing at least 1,200 head of cattle in Nebraska.Tracy Swank, who raises sheep near Toledo, said she has been opening more barn doors to increase air flow and filling more troughs and buckets with water.
"Animals are pretty resilient. They'll adjust, but you still have to give them plenty of water and provide some shade," she said.
The blistering heat wave brought stifling humidity and temperatures in the 90s Tuesday on the East Coast, but a cold front brought some relief to the West and parts of the Midwest after days of triple-digit heat index readings.
The heat wave already has been blamed for many deaths across the country, including 28 in the Phoenix area alone, most of them homeless people.
Oppressive heat also posed health risks for animals. In northeast Nebraska, hundreds of cattle died over the weekend when the humidity reached 90 percent and temperatures stayed warm into the night.
Source: Forbes
27 July 2005
1 minute read
