Keep cool with KW this summer!

With the summer months comes the risk of heat stress for cows. In the UK temperatures tend to fluctuate and top out in the 30’s but even with these fluctuations humidity tends to remain above 60% through April to October meaning that heat stress is still a risk even at moderate temperatures.

Crucially it is fertility that can be affected at these lower temperatures before cows show any signs of heat stress or before production is impacted.

Check out our top tips to help minimise the risks this summer…

• Provide adequate drinking water

At least 15% of the herd should be able to drink at the same time, so allow for adequate trough space. Also, check refresh rates and watch cows in the afternoon when water points are under pressure. Cows drink between 60-120 litres per cow, per day, so provide fresh, clean water to encourage intakes.

• Adjust feed management

Mix rations just before feeding out, so feed is always fresh. Adjust volumes if required and clear away refusals. For housed cows, feed 60% of the ration between 8pm and 8am.

• Change ration formulations

Dry matter intake is reduced in periods of heat stress, so to maintain the cow’s nutrient intake, the nutrient density of the diet needs to be increased, and the ration made as palatable as possible.

Some ways to achieve this are;

• Feeding high quality forages or high energy forage replacers
• Liquid and moist feeds such as Molasses or Brewers Grains will help ration palatability, drive intakes and reduce sorting
• Feed a greater ratio of concentrates to forage (as forage produces 7x more heat than concentrates), but ensure a good quality digestible fibre source such as Sugarbeet feed or Soya Hulls is fed
• Feed a protected fat – fat is a concentrated energy source with a low heat increment of digestion
• Consider a rumen buffer and heat stress package to improve cow hydration, salt balance and to support fertility such as AcidBuf or KW ChilliBuf.
• Avoid excess rumen degradable protein as this takes energy to excrete and ensure an adequate supply of by-pass protein (DUP)- use of protein sources with a high DUP to RDP ratio such as NovaPro rumen protected rape expeller or SoyPass rumen protected Hipro Soya are ideal to achieve this

• Apply careful herd management

Reduce stocking density where possible and make sure shading is available for grazing animals. Consider grazing at night.

• Adopt building management procedures

Opening vents or shed sides can improve ventilation, being sure to clear away anything blocking airflow. Carefully consider the placement of fans.

For more information or to see how we can help you with heat stress, please contact us on 01977 686262 or fill out our contact form and we will get back to you!