Mobile App Calculates Heat Stress in Livestock, Poultry
By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
With summer temperatures on the way, heat stress detection in livestock and poultry is important. The University of Guelph and the Ontario Minister of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) created a free app called Heat Stress for farmers available through Google Play and Blackberry Marketplace that allows producers to measure the level of heat stress experienced by livestock and poultry. The app was launched April 4, 2013.
The following are the key features of the app:
• Comes in three different languages – English, French and Spanish
• Seven types of livestock and poultry options - dairy cattle, beef cattle, hogs, chickens (layer, broiler and breeder), turkeys, sheep and goats
• Measures 5% increments for humidity changes
• Measures 2 degree increment temperature changes (metric/imperial)
• Identifies levels of stress from “No Heat Stress” to “Emergency”
• Outlines practical actions to reduce the effects of heat stress
• The mobile app combines research and production information for best results
