At Carrageen Alpacas....it's hot!
Thursday, July 18, 2013
What a summer this has been so far. From days of torrential rain in June to dealing with the string of 90 degree days this past week has made life here on the farm interesting to say the least.
The rainy days meant more challenging mornings with clean up...in other words more poop in the barn. Also dealing pastures that looked like ponds was not any fun.
However now we are enduring a severe stretch of very hot days and are being vigilant in watching our animals for signs of stress. So far so good. Many fans going in the barn and cooling them off with water from the hose. They love this! It is so much fun to see them running to be the first in line.
I wrote a blog earlier on heat and alpacas. I need to remind all...especially newbies.. to keep your animal cool. Watch for open mouth breathing and increased respiration rate. Be aware of the total of temperature and humidity..150 and above requires careful watching. If you have any doubt about whether to allow your animals out to pasture on a very hot day, err on the side of caution and keep them inside.
The rainy days meant more challenging mornings with clean up...in other words more poop in the barn. Also dealing pastures that looked like ponds was not any fun.
However now we are enduring a severe stretch of very hot days and are being vigilant in watching our animals for signs of stress. So far so good. Many fans going in the barn and cooling them off with water from the hose. They love this! It is so much fun to see them running to be the first in line.
I wrote a blog earlier on heat and alpacas. I need to remind all...especially newbies.. to keep your animal cool. Watch for open mouth breathing and increased respiration rate. Be aware of the total of temperature and humidity..150 and above requires careful watching. If you have any doubt about whether to allow your animals out to pasture on a very hot day, err on the side of caution and keep them inside.