A conductive chilled-water mattress tested on three Friesian dry cows during a Polish summer heat wave lowered skin temperature by up to 8 C and significantly reduced reticulorumen temperature.
At -14.2 C, Holstein calves housed indoors in a lightweight building had higher skin temperature and spent more time standing, moving and drinking than calves in outdoor hutches under shelters.
A review of the temperature-humidity index (THI) as the key environmental indicator of heat stress in dairy cows, covering its calculation formulas and the interpretation of critical thresholds.
A four-week summer trial on 12 lactating Murrah buffaloes: drinking water pre-cooled in an earthen pot lowered serum cortisol by 44%, respiratory and pulse rates and rectal temperature, and raised milk yield by 29% compared with naturally warm farm water.
A 2025 review of water requirements, utilization and water balance across dairy cows, beef cattle, sheep, poultry, horses and swine — covering the three sources of water gain, the pathways of loss, and the factors that drive daily water intake.
A 3-year study on four Northern Italian dairy farms found that ceiling-fan ventilation raised milk yield by 2.9 kg/cow/day and improved reproductive traits, with a benefit–cost ratio of 1.34–1.51 depending on heat-stress intensity.
A 445-sow commercial study in southern Brazil comparing two farrowing-room temperature programs. Raising the cooling setpoint by 2 °C cut total electrical energy use by 20.4% (≈ US$1.00/sow), but reduced sow lactation feed intake (6.5 vs 6.3 kg/day) and litter weaning weight by 5.8 kg, translating to a US$5.28/litter/sow economic loss — substantially outweighing the energy savings.
Source: Bostanova, S., Uskenov, R., Serekpayev, N., Tretyakov, I., Önder, H., Aryn, B., & Valiyeva, M. (2025). Correlation between weather conditions and the watering cycle of beef cows in pastures. Journal of Animal Behavior and Biometeorology, 13:e2025025. https://doi.org/10.31893/jabb.2025025 Abstract This…
Ana Valeria González Pereyra, Verónica Maldonado May, Carlos Guillermo Catracchia,María Alejandra Herrero, Myriam Celina Flores, and Mariana Mazzini Grazing animals are exposed to heat stress and there should be conditions to facilitate water intake. Three experiments were carried out to…
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