An extension beef veterinarian encourages cattle producers to consider changing feed schedules during extreme heat.
Grant Dewell with Iowa State University says ruminant animals like cows generate heat when eating.
“We all generate heat when we digest stuff, but cattle and other ruminants produce a lot of heat when that fermentation process goes on. So one thing we can recommend is switching our feeding patterns during heat events so that the heat generated from digestion occurs more towards the evening when it’s starting to cool off.”
He tells Brownfield if a steer is fed at eight in the morning, ruminant temperature will peak at around noon.
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