In the heat of summer, you see a lot of kids running through sprinklers and a lot of people running their fans in their homes. It’s really no different for cows – they want to stay cool. Everything we do on our farm is driven by cow comfort, and in summer we have some special ways of making sure our cows are comfortable, no matter what the temperature.
Our dairy barns have a ton of ventilation, and numerous fans that create a 7-10 mile-an-hour wind. That’s a nice breeze, and it’s what cows enjoy. Sometimes I call cows “bovine furnaces.” Their body temperature is 101.6, and when they eat and digest, their bodies create heat. That’s why it’s so important to keep them cool and comfortable.
Giant fans keep the barns and animals cool and comfortable
Cows enjoy shade, and that’s the reason they like it in the barn. Our freestall barns let cows eat, drink and move around whenever they want. They also have free choice of feed whenever they want – kind of like a buffet. Our cows sleep on sand beds or waterbeds. The waterbeds are like a big pillow with two compartments. When a cow lies down on it, they settle in and the bed fits to the cow’s body.
Cows eat, drink and move about freely
When our cows are being milked, they stand on rubber flooring which give them some cushion. We have misting sprinklers and fans to keep cows comfortable in the milking parlor, too.
Our cows are everything to us. Comfortable cows are healthy cows, and that’s why we work hard to make sure they have everything they need, down to the last fan and sprinkler.
