It’s hot! I am not complaining……I’m just stating facts. Last winter is still too fresh in my mind. Now if you would ask a cow what they prefer, they would all “Moo” in unison….cold weather. I’m going to show you how we keep our cows cool in the intense heat……..
This is the “coolest” cow in the herd. Our only Brown Swiss. She’s beautiful and knows it. Oh yeah…cows have attitude. She’s always the first one in line to get milked……she wants to eat. Light colored cows tolerate the heat much better than black cows. Just like humans. The weather man will tell us to wear light colored clothing and stay away from dark. Works the same way with cattle. So, what do we do for all the black and whites?
“Misters” is the name of the game. When the heat really cranks it up……the cows will come up to the barn with their mouths hanging open huffing and puffing. That’s how they sweat. If you look closely, you’ll see a fine mist spraying over them. That’s cold well water. Within 10 minutes of standing underneath this….they start chewing their cud. That means they’re feeling cool and comfortable.
Here we have a photo bomber. She’s trying to tell us that she loves the cold water. She looks mad, but she’s just trying to intimidate you. Haha I can read them like a book.
It’s difficult to get a good shot of the misters. It often reminds me of a blizzard……looks like sleet blowing in the wintertime. I have “flashbacks” of all that wicked winter weather. Is that a bad sign?! Anyway, I wish we had a “cooling pond” for the cows……basically a swimming pool. There’s pros and cons for those. Mostly pros. We just haven’t funded one yet. So for now, misters are working overtime.
Let’s not forget about the dogs. They get hot too. This is Clyde. He loves to swim. I’m thinkin’ I should’ve bought a bigger size. They also jump into the cows’ water tanks. Don’t tell the cows or they’ll have a total meltdown. I don’t need any “herd drama”. Can’t really blame them……I freak out when someone “slurps” on my cool drink………
Yep, this is how I like to stay cool. Sippin’ a cold drink on my patio. More on that later…………….Carol
Cow misters…udderly fantastic! Sorry, just could not resist the temptation. I imagine that a cool, calm and content cow produces more milk. Your photos prove that they are happy under those misters. Clyde looks quite content and that glass of tea is very inviting too. Thank-you!
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You’re free to “tea” with me any time. 😊
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