Summer is a good season to eat ice cream, but the temperature and humidity can cause production and even life-threatening for cows. Heat stress reduces milk production and the health of dairy cows. The new heat stress temperature and humidity index threshold has been adjusted from the original 72 to 68, because when the THI reaches 68, most cows will begin to suffer heat stress. When the THI reaches 80, most cattle suffer severe heat stress if no cooling measures are taken.

Heat stress can reduce the feed intake of cows, which can lead to a loss of 10 pounds of milk per day or more. It can also suppress the immune system of cows, leading to increased susceptibility to disease, and can increase the incidence of many diseases. In addition, heat stress can also lead to an increase in standing time, a decrease in reproductive performance, and a decrease in production throughout the lactation period.

Due to the large volume of the rumen, the digestive system of dairy cows can effectively degrade fiber feed, but dairy cows are very sensitive to heat stress. The rumen microbial flora also generates a lot of heat while digesting roughage fiber, just like a big stove in the rumen.

The higher the milk yield and the greater the feed intake, the more heat production and the more sensitive to heat stress. Large cows, such as Holstein cows, have a weak ability to dissipate heat and are naturally sensitive to heat stress.

Dr. Hain has ten tips to help you fight heat stress.

In a cold environment (e. g., 4 degrees), a 1500-pound cow would need to drink an average of 25 gallons of water to produce 80 pounds of milk per day. Similarly, a cow needs to drink 33 gallons of water if it is hot (26.7 degrees). The more productive cows need more water, and the higher the temperature, the greater the amount of water to drink. Each cow has at least 8cm of drinking water in the enclosure; this will reduce the competition for drinking water from cows and ensure that all animals have access to clean drinking water.

Studies have shown that cows in the shade of grazing or sports fields produce 10-20% more milk than those without shade. For high-yielding cows, this is critical, but don't forget the reserve and dry cows on the playground or pasture, and don't forget the sick cows and the more vulnerable cows, because they are less able to avoid direct sunlight.

The fan can help remove radiant heat. The diameter of the fan should be 36-48 inches, the installation height should be 8 feet from the ground, the distance between the fans is 20 feet, and the fan is tilted down 15-25 degrees to ensure continuous wind speed. Fans should be installed crosswise to provide good air circulation in all areas.

In most pastures, fan and spray can provide the best heat dissipation method. Fan and spray can use the evaporation heat dissipation of cows to achieve the purpose of cooling. The nozzle should be installed at a height of 8 feet above the ground, immediately below the fan, and the nozzle should be able to reach 180 degrees with no dead angle, and the water flow should be about 10 pounds per square inch (pressure is about 6 9千帕). Spray directly to the entire back of the cow. Different areas set appropriate spray-fan opening interval according to temperature and humidity. Here, 15 minutes of circulation, 3 minutes of spraying and 12 minutes of drying are recommend (translator's note: this procedure is not suitable for all pastures, requiring pastures to explore the best circulation mode according to their own conditions. One principle is to spray thoroughly and blow dry). This spray can spray through the cow and can be dried by a fan to remove heat by evaporation to achieve a cooling effect. Sleeping bed is not recommend to install the nozzle, because it will increase the humidity, resulting in environmental mastitis.

In dry areas, pasture can consider bed above installed in the fan system equipped with spray, through the evaporation of fog to reduce the air in the barn and cooling. Because the spray droplets are small, they evaporate and dissipate before falling to bed. This evaporation can slightly lower the air temperature, but is not suitable for high humidity areas and closed cattle houses because it can increase humidity and increase heat stress.

Increasing the supply of fat and reducing the proportion of concentrated feed can increase the energy concentration and reduce the heat produced by fermentation. The amount of fat added should not exceed 6.5 per cent of the diet (dry matter). Reducing the feeding amount of roughage or feeding high-quality roughage can reduce the heat production of fermentation. In the hot season, cows like to be picky about concentrate feed, but enough roughage should be fed to avoid digestive problems and milk fat reduction. The supply of the mineral potassium (1% of dry matter) should be increased during heat stress, as well as the addition of organic chromium, which is able to help increase heat tolerance.

In the hot season, cows are more susceptible to endometritis, mastitis, ketosis and other diseases. Because the cows in this important period of feed intake itself is low, itself is in a state of immune suppression. By closely monitoring new cattle production, these problems can be detected early and the necessary measures can be taken to intervene before the problem becomes serious. An additional 12 hours of heat stress can turn a sick cow into a dead cow.

Due to the high density of the crowded area, the crowded hall is the hottest area of the ranch, because there is not enough space for heat dissipation in this area. Cows need at least 26-48 square feet of space to stop the spread of heat between cows. When driving cattle, you can consider dividing them into small groups instead of driving the whole group together. This means that there will be fewer cows waiting in the huddling hall and less contact between cattle. In this high-risk area, the need for fans and sprinklers is even greater. Adding some water tanks to the back-to-cow channel in summer can increase water intake and slow down the milk reduction of cows.

Do not move cattle casually (move, group or transport), do not inject vaccines, etc. when it is very hot. Avoid any factors that can increase stress-the vaccine can of course also increase stress on the body's immune system-this will have significantly different consequences for the cow-the cow could have resisted heat stress on its own, but is on the verge of death because the external stress factors aggravate the heat stress. Due to excessive stress can also cause abortion of dry cows.

For small pastures using wet curtain with tunnel ventilation is a good model. This combination can reduce the indoor temperature by more than 10 degrees. This is an effective way to cool down, but it may be difficult for large pastures.

1. Heat stress measures should be put first in the supply of water. 15-20 cows should be guaranteed a water tank. The drinking area of each cow should preferably reach 10cm. The cleanliness and water temperature of the water should be ensured.

2. Cowshed, the shade of the waiting hall.

3. Reduce walking distance

4. Reduce the waiting time of cattle in the waiting hall.

5. Improve ventilation in crowded halls and cattle sheds

6. Increase cooling at the exit of milking parlors and milking parlors.

7. The cooling of cows in the early perinatal period should take precedence over lactating cows.

8. Heatstroke prevention and cooling of newly produced cattle and early lactation cows

9. Middle lactation, late lactation of cows heatstroke prevention and cooling.

Magnesium

--Prevention of heat stressBalance the rumen PH value, promote digestion, improve biological enzymes, improve feed conversion rate.

Rocky Lick Brickis mainlyMinerals andtrace elementThe fully mixed pre-mixed product is formed into a block after high-pressure extrusion. Rocky licks are used together with regular feed to provide a variety of essential minerals to supplement the required nutrients and balance the diet.

Special heavy-duty hydraulic presses are used in Lodge production. The pressure per square inch exceeds 10000 kilograms (1.5 tons per square centimeter or 200 bar). Under such pressure, the various raw materials in powder form are squeezed into hard blocks like stone, which isThe reason Rocky got the name.

Lodge products produced in this way can be used in a variety of weather conditions, whether it is rain, snow or wind, wet. Loose mineral powder can easily be blown away by the wind or become "mud", but Rocky licks are hard and can be continuously licked until they are exhausted. As a result, Rocky licking bricks are actually more economical than many other "cheap" feed additives.

ExceptHardness, wear resistanceLodge also has.Good palatability. Livestock like to lick the rocky, their tongue just adapt to the texture of the rocky, so can ensure adequate intake every day, which is of great benefit to livestock. In addition, livestock will stick saliva to the surface of the brick, slightly softening the surface without affecting the hardness of the interior.