Cooling livestock
R. HANS MILLER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 2 months AGO
Whether it’s a cow, a lamb a chicken or other farm animal, keeping livestock and poultry cool and hydrated during heatwaves can protect valuable animals from harm. A shady fairgrounds barn like this steer is in or an overhead sunscreen to provide shade can make a big difference in both the animal’s comfort and overall health.
R. HANS MILLER/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Dillon Hale and Megan Feekes at Hale’s Farm & Feed in Ephrata said there are a mix of methods ranchers can use to ensure their livestock remain healthy in the extreme heat the Basin has seen this week. From hydration supplements to water tank management, it’s all in applying a bit of effort to ensure animals remain safe.
Vitamin and electrolyte supplements such as these are available at most feed stores around the Columbia Basin and can be used to ensure livestock are hydrated. Some even trigger animals to drink additional water during hotter days.
Animal husbandry takes a little effort sometimes and a spray bottle filled with fly repellant that contains sunscreen can not only kill or keep away biting insects, but can also help keep animals from getting sunburnt.
Managing Editor Rob Miller is a 4-year U.S. Army veteran who grew up in Western Montana in a community about the size of Soap Lake. An honors graduate of Texas State University, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Brandee, and their three dogs, Draco, Pepper and Cinnamon. He has one son, William. During his free time, he enjoys photography, video games, reading and working on the house he and his wife bought in Ephrata. He is passionate about the First Amendment and educating communities. | August 18, 2023 3:13 PM
EPHRATA – The sign at the SubWay in Ephrata read 105 degrees Wednesday afternoon, and temperatures throughout the area have been high all week, including on the various ranches in the area. Ranchers have a variety of tools to help keep their livestock from overheating.
Ensuring animals have easy access to clean water troughs is important, said Megan Feekes, an employee at Hale’s Farm and Feed in Ephrata.
“It doesn’t hurt to dump (water) out every now and then, clean it, spray it, refill it, refresh it,” she said.
Livestock and poultry are more likely to drink the water when it’s fresh and clean she said. Letting water overflow to stay fresh, providing shade, being aware of the animals’ overall condition and using the right products, such as misters, can help make certain livestock are comfortable, she said.
“We do have floats so that you don’t have to keep an eye on the water,” said Milie Cobb of Four Seasons Farm Service in Ephrata, a separate feed store about a block from Hale’s. “You can just have the water on at all times and (the float) regulates it.”
Locally, the floats sell for between $18 and $30, Cobb said, and can save water while still ensuring the supply is there and relatively fresh.
Cobb’s coworker at Four Seasons, Jacey Heston, said ensuring animals have sufficient electrolytes can be important for health.
Feekes’s coworker, Dillon Hale, said the electrolyte options come in packs that can be used for all of the animals someone might be working with, but also in formulas that are better for animals suffering from mild dehydration.
Feekes also suggested orange Gatorade in a pinch if young livestock need encouragement in getting enough fluids.
Serious cases of dehydration should prompt ranchers to contact a veterinarian to ensure the animal’s safety.
Heston and Feekes both agreed that using additive products in water designed for the purpose can prompt cattle to drink more as well, helping to ensure their health and safety.
Feekes said limiting activity can help keep the animals cool. Providing a shady area with misters is great, but that can also be supplemented by hanging bags that puff out pest repellants when calves or other livestock play with them is helpful along with using other pest repellants. Keeping biting insects away from the animals allows them to rest in the shade rather than meandering to get away from biting flies and such, she said.
“We have the fly bags with the powder that goes into them,” Feekes said. “And when I put it up for our cows, I was thinking, ‘No. They ain’t going to play with it.”
While Feekes’s animals did end up using the bags, she did caution that the powdered bags may not be appropriate for goats due to that animal’s tendency to eat just about anything in sight. The main point of the bags and other repellents though, is to let the animal rest without being pestered by bugs.
“The flies keep off of them, so then they’re not having to move around so much, so they don’t have to get heated up so much,” Feekes said.
Correction: Megan Feekes is not married to Dillon Hale. Feekes is married to Shane Feekes whom she owns cattle and farms with. Megan Feekes and Hale are both coworkers at Hale’s Farm & Feed. As a clarification, Hale’s Farm & Feed and Four Seasons Farm Service are separate entities. This information has been incorporated above. Information on properly caring for animals in the heat is correct as originally published.
R. Hans Miller may be reached at editor@columbiabasinherald.com. He resides in Ephrata with his wife and their three dogs.
