A heat wave that has smashed records in the Southwest is spreading into parts of the Midwest and Northeast this week. Unfortunately, that heat is spreading toward the northern tier over the coming days with expected highs surging toward 100 degrees in some Midwest cities and well into the 90s in the Northeast. During the peak of county fair season for a large part of the Midwest, these daunting forecasts have youth exhibitors and their families quite concerned.
“This week has been hot, and the temperatures are expected to increase,” says Maddison DeOrnellas, a 14-year-old swine exhibitor from Paxton, Ill. “My showpigs are important to me. Not only do I want to keep them comfortable for their health, but as a livestock exhibitor, I need to make sure that all of the spectators that come through the barn can see that my pigs are treated with the best care possible.”
Although heat stress is more commonly considered to occur in extreme temperatures, anytime the temperature exceeds 70 degrees, livestock are adversely affected. Heat stress causes increased respiration rate, suppressed appetite, fatigue and dehydration, all signs of a lowered immune response.
That’s why hot weeks mean much more work for youth exhibitors and their families. When getting animals ready for the fair, everyone wants them to eat well, stay hydrated and be at their best.
“It’s clear that these expectations we put on our show livestock to perform at the highest level and look exceptional while doing so can become a challenge when temperatures rise,” says Shelia Grobosky, mother to Lily, an 8-year-old youth exhibitor from Alexis, Ill.
Don’t just react to changes in temperatures. Pay attention to the weather forecast and make decisions to the best of your ability based on what’s coming.
“It is a lot harder to bring down livestock’s body temperature once they are hot than it is to manage it before it rises,” Grobosky says.
Here are six suggestions from showpig exhibitors in the trenches of county fair this week to make sure your show animals stay healthy and perform to their best ability under hot weather conditions.
1. Create a comfortable environment.
Manage your animal’s environment to make it as comfortable as possible. Keep animals out of direct sunlight and provide a shaded setting. Manage air flow by using fans and misters.
“During the summer shows, there are several ways to keep your showpigs cool and comfortable to beat the heat. I hang fans on each individual pen to keep air moving,” DeOrnellas says.
Keeping bedding wet down and misting water in the air can also help cool the air that fans push through.
2. Modify your feeding program.
Livestock, like humans, don’t want to eat when it’s extremely hot. Consider feeding earlier in the mornings so animals have a chance to eat before it gets hot. Keep water sources in a shaded environment if possible. Make sure lines that serve as water sources are not exposed to heat that can result in the water in the lines getting extremely hot. At the fair, DeOrnellas makes sure to offer cold, fresh water often.
Krayten watering her pig at the Edgar County Fair.
3. Rinse animals multiple times throughout the day.
When you rinse animals with cool water, it helps drop their core temperature quicker than anything else you can do. When you rinse, focus on cooling their underline and head as it will help them cool down faster.
11-year-old Krayten Trogdon of Paris, Ill., is showing at the Edgar County Fair this week and says she takes her pigs on several trips to the wash rack to cool them off on hot days. She pays special attention to not just get her pigs wet, but to allow the cool water to run over them a while to help drop their body temperature.
Maddison rinses her pig at the Champaign County Fair.
4. Ice down animals when signs of heat stress present.
Keep a close watch for signs of panting, lethargy or diarrhea that could indicate heat stress. If you notice your pig is getting overheated, Trogdon recommends keeping a sprayer full of ice water on hand as well as rags that she dips in ice water to lay on her pig’s back to cool down its body temperature faster.
DeOrnellas applies ice directly to her pig’s chest and belly when it is laying down if it shows signs of distress.
Krayten sprays down her pig with ice water when heat stress signs begin to show.
5. Strategically plan when you haul to shows.
During hot periods of the year, hauling at night is the most ideal to help reduce the time they will be exposed to the heat. Adjust ventilation on your trailer to allow for adequate air flow while traveling.
“My family will be done showing at the Champaign County Fair and released Wednesday afternoon in the heat of the day,” DeOrnellas says. “However, due to the projected temperatures, we don’t plan on traveling until the temperatures cool down. If that means leaving at dark, we’ll do whatever we need to do to keep the pigs content.”
6. Keep your schedule consistent.
When you are at the show, try to maintain the same schedule of caring for your stock. Feed early, rinse regularly and keep the air moving by using fans.
“I am intentional about keeping a close eye on my pigs. I have a group chat with my family where we all share when we checked pigs and what tactic we used to keep them cool,” says Abby Clapp, a 17-year-old livestock exhibitor from LeRoy, Ill.
Clapp says this is helpful so everyone knows what pigs to keep an eye on and so there is accountability in how frequently they are refreshed.
Don’t lose your focus on the most important job you have at the fair – caring for your animals, she emphasizes.
“Fairs and shows are a great opportunity to visit with friends that I don’t see often, but the wellbeing of my livestock is the most important thing, especially in the summer heat,” Clapp says. “One of the best things about livestock friends is that they also prioritize the care of their animals, so we are all doing these things at the same time.”
You may not be able to escape the heat during summer shows, but you can turn that challenge into an advantage by preparing properly and paying close attention to your livestock.
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