Keeping Cool on the Farm

Wowzas! It's hot! As if you didn't already know right? Everybody has been getting creative to stay cool this past week with temps well into the 90's and humidity that I don't even want to talk about! NP's normal look lately has been 'drenched'. We of course wear less clothing, drink lots of water and savor moments in the good 'ol AC to get through. But what about our animals?? AC isn't really an option for them. Some of them can't even sweat!

The answer is different for each animal. For the chickens we give them a bag of frozen corn to munch on in the hot afternoons. Chickens can't sweat but they do have their own mechanisms for cooling off like panting (similar to a dog) and walking around with their wings held out away from their bodies.

The pigs also can't sweat so they cool off by playing in a wallow aka big mud puddle that they dug and we fill with water during these hot days!

Abby gets a brief shower twice a day at milking times. The water being evaporated gives her some relief from the heat.

For the calves, we open all of the vents in their hutches and provide an outdoor space in front of each of their hutches for them to catch the breeze. We also check their water and make sure it is fresh 3 times a day.

And for ALL of the critters we make sure that they have constant access to good clean water for drinking!

Keep cool & Enjoy!
Brun Ko Farm