- Uwe Beißwenger, LKV Baden-Württemberg
- Detlef May, Teaching and Research Institute for Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Groß Kreutz
- Prof. Dr. Heiko Scholz, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences
- Prof. Dr. Ralf Waßmuth, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences
● Lydia Stahl, Justus Liebig University Giessen
Funding note:
This document was produced as part of the collaborative project ‘Netzwerk Fokus Tierwohl’, funding reference numbers 28N-4-013-01 to 28N-4-013-17, by the ‘Heat Stress’ working group of the Animal Welfare Competence Centre for Cattle, and methodologically and didactically adapted by DLG e.V. and FiBL
Deutschland e.V. The joint project of the Chambers of Agriculture and agricultural institutions across all federal states aims to improve the transfer of knowledge into practice in order to make cattle, pig and poultry farms fit for the future in terms of animal-welfare-friendly, environmentally sound and sustainable livestock farming.
The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture pursuant to a resolution of the German Bundestag.
All information and advice is provided without any warranty or liability.
Publisher
DLG e.V. Agricultural
Centre
Eschborner Landstraße 122
60489 Frankfurt am Main
FiBL Deutschland e.V. Animal Welfare
Division
Kasseler Straße 1a
60486 Frankfurt am Main
Reproduction and transmission of individual text sections, drawings or images (including for the purpose of lesson planning), as well as the provision of the information sheet in whole or in part for viewing or download by third parties, is permitted only with the prior approval of the relevant office of the Animal Welfare Competence Centre for Cattle and DLG e.V., Marketing Department, Tel. +49 69 24788-209, [email protected].
Introduction
Protection from the heat is often recommended for suckler cows – yet in practice, things often turn out differently. This document aims to raise awareness of the issue of heat stress in pasture and provide information to help assess heat stress directly in the animal. Only those who can reliably assess heat stress are in a position to judge whether existing weather protection is sufficient for the animals or whether action is required. Many factors influence whether heat stress occurs or not. In addition to the legal framework, the key aspects of cattle thermoregulation (including adaptive responses and consequences when the animal’s adaptive capacity is exceeded), and environmental factors that exacerbate or alleviate stress, specific requirements and solutions for implementing weather protection are presented. Checklists for assessing heat stress based on animal-related factors are provided, and options for reducing heat stress are presented.
When one considers that cattle were originally steppe animals, it becomes clear why they possess such a high capacity for adaptation. There are countless studies on dairy cattle whose fundamental findings also apply to suckler cows, beef cattle and young stock on pasture (Polsky and von Keyserlingk, 2017). Due to the scarcity of systematic research findings from Europe, reference is primarily made to North American studies. Although conditions there differ, the findings are transferable in part.