Summer Stress Management in Livestock

June 19, 2021

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Summer Stress Management in Livestock

Abstract:

Livestock management during summer stress is the most important phenomena. Summer stress leads to poor milk production, poor reproduction and a loss in thermal homeostasis. Cross bred and exotic cattle and buffaloes are severely prone to summer stress. Knowing heat stress and occurrence of heat stress helps in adopting and practicing the suitable management practices such as providing shade, water, rich nutritious feed ,managing housing, adopting night hour grazing and wallowing will help to overcome and manage the summer stress in livestock.

Keywords: Stress management; Heat stress; Summer stress; Livestock

Introduction:

As we all know that the man has no control over nature but he blessed with a capacity to manage it. Likewise, the summer stress in livestock is also uncontrollable but we can manage it. Summer stress occurs especially between March and June. Humans can also experience heat stress. In order to beat the heat stress, summer holidays are given for us but what about the animals. Heat has the effect on pitiful animals too. Scarcity of food and water arises, milk production reduces and the reproduction capacity declines and even stress death occurs. This is how the heat put the animals in stress and making to suffer. Not only the animals to suffer but also the humans who rely on the income from livestock will suffer. Let’s see about heat stress and how it could be managed in detail.

https://www.dairyknowledge.in/article/managing-dairy-animals-during-summer

Heat stress:

Heat stress is not only arising from the environment but also from imbalance in heat production and less dissipation of heat from the body. Since warm blooded animals have the capacity to maintain body temperature. But ,when heat absorption and heat production crosses its limit, the animals are unable to dissipate the same amount of heat which is absorbed or produces and ultimately ends in heat stress which could lead to poor milk production and dull reproductive activities

Occurrence of heat stress:

Summer is capable of bringing heat and scarce. Thus, the scarce in food and water to afford the livestock, the owners lead their livestock for grazing to mountains or to pasture lands. Mostly, the grazing time is between 11a.m. and 4p.m. However, the thermo-tolerant breeds such as Indian breeds will not experience heat stress. The heat stress effects the cross and exotic breeds of cattle and most importantly buffaloes. Heat stress will have less amount of effect on horses and dogs because of more sweat pores in horses and panting in dogs.

When temperature increases, the animal tries to beat the heat but after sometime the heat increase progressively and finally heat beats the animals and put the animals into stress. This is how the heat stress occurs in livestock.

Symptoms of summer stress:

The symptoms of heat stress are as follows,

Pulse rate is rapid and weak
Rise in heart beat and increased respiratory rate
Dizziness
Temperature raises to 41^o
Dull skin
Sunken eyeballs
Animals may faint due to dehydration

These are the symptoms that the livestock experience and suffer during heat stress.

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Management of summer stress:

“ Management is the key to improvement”

As above said, managing the heat stress will improve the quality of livestock both physically and mentally.

i ) Shade :

First and fore most step is to provide shade to the animals. The shade may be either natural or artificial .

Natural shade: Trees are the natural shade. It is used when the farmer is unable to make a shed. Shade can be provided to animals even during hours. Trees during evaporation creates cooling effect. So, it serves as the natural shade.
Artificial shade: Shed is the artificial shade. It is to painted with white colour to reduce the heat absorption.

Shade is the first aid to the sunstroke affected animals before attending the veterinarian. That’s why shade is important in the management of heat stress.

ii) Housing management:

Proper housing is an inevitable one in heat stress management. Because congested shed will increase the heat stress and hinders the movement of animals in the shed. Wet gunny bags should be tied at the top will prevent the roof heat to impact the animals. So, proper housing with ample ventilation is important for reducing the summer stress.

iii) Grazing hours:

The major mistake that the farmers carrying out is peak hour grazing even during summer. Peak hour grazing must be avoided. Instead, the grazing should be carried out between 6a.m.-10a.m. in the morning and 5p.m. -7p.m. This method will reduce the sunlight exposure to some extent.

iv) Water:

Water plays a crucial role in reduce dehydration and for maintaining thermal homeostasis. It is noted that that the hydrated cow can overcome the heat stress. So, the livestock must be given with clean water alone or water mixed with electrolytes. Water hydrates cow which furthermore increase the milk production.

v) Feed :

Feeding livestock with nutrient rich green fodder or forage or silage tends to slowdown the stress factor. Stress prone animals are better to be fed with mineral and vitamin supplements to overcome the stress. Night feeding and avoid grazing in the peak hours will definitely have the considerable impact against stress. So, feeding well the livestock with nutrient feed relives the animals from stress.

vi) Wallowing :

Wallowing will help the animals to beat the heat and also to maintain homeostasis. Taking animals to nearby waterbodies and wallowing it helps to overcome the stress.

vii) Cooling system

This system should be adopted when there is no possibility of wallowing couldn’t be carried out. This system works on the principle of evaporation with the help of fan. Spraying water over the body of animals , the fan rotates and the process of evaporation is initiated. As we all know that evaporation creates cooling effect, makes the animal body to release heat which in turn creates the cooling effect over the animal’s body.

Conclusion:

Summer is the drastic season among all. But each and every season is important to maintain the global homeostasis. So, we have to go through all the seasons and overcome that with good management practices. This is applicable both for humans and animals. So, proper management practices must be adopted and practiced in order to overcome the summer stress in livestock.