When daytime temperatures are unbearable, most people get out of the sun and into a cooler space. But for animals, especially livestock, it is not so easy and can have devastating effects on their health.
At a workshop held at Hope Farm, the THA Division of Food Security partnered with the MARVISTA Institute to help Tobago-based farmers navigate the effects of high temperatures on their animals.
Chairman of the MARVISTA Institute, Marcus Mycoo, said daily temperatures are rising, and while people are able to keep cool, livestock are not.
“In certain parts of Trinidad, and certainly in San Fernando, and I think it might even be hotter here. I’ve seen temperatures over 40, 41 degrees… so you could imagine, we could run in and come in in the shade. Unfortunately, many people are still leaving their livestock out in the sun.”
He noted that many livestock farmers in Tobago operate small farms and practise traditional forms of sheep, goat and cattle rearing.
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Dr Paul Crooks says farmers need to be aware that animals also face heat stress, just like humans.
“The animals are tied out, and one of them collapses from the heat exhaustion. That animal has to now recover from that heat exhaustion, and if you go and you take that animal and you tie it back again, that animal is stressed. That animal is just going to be studying, instead of studying to eat, the animal is going to figure out how am I going to get out of here.”
Not only will they be struggling to get out of the heat, Dr Crooks explained, but they will also use more energy while standing.
“Standing is more energy intensive than lying down, and if you all have healthy, happy sheep and goats, healthy, happy cattle, you will see that during the day they lie down and they’re chewing their cud.”
Dr Crooks warned that heat-stressed animals will produce fewer offspring, as well as lower quantities and poorer-quality milk.
“It is estimated that higher environmental temperatures may compromise productivity in lactating sheep and goats by between seven to 25%, due in part to a higher respiratory rate.”
He said the quality of meat will also be compromised.
“The meat would be very tough. It would be tough and chewy meat. When you slaughter an animal and the animal is stressed, the meat quality is reduced.”
To help livestock withstand high temperatures, Dr Crooks advised farmers to consider every aspect of animal care, including housing, feed, water, biosecurity and health.