It is important to have a plan to keep livestock cool during extreme heat. This effective system works even with power outages!
How to keep livestock cool in extreme heat
When I live in Central Texas, afternoon temperatures can top 100 degrees for days on end. (some years, actually more like a few moon continuous! )
Such temperatures can wreak havoc on your chickens, rabbits, and other livestock.
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“Create cool shade with this simple plant”
“How to Avoid Heat Stroke – The No. 1 Threat to Summer Gardeners”
(For example, when it’s really hot outside, it’s not uncommon to hear chickens stop laying eggs, or worse, die from heat stroke. Rabbits usually don’t breed in heat.)
you Maybe go in and enjoy the air conditioning when the temperature soars, but what about your animals? How to keep livestock cool in extreme heat?
Prevent livestock from overheating
Image Source suju-photo from focus on
All livestock have limitations in how much heat they can tolerate. So having an easy way to keep livestock cool, comfortable and healthy during the hot summer months is very helpful.
The video below is about rabbits, but you can really keep any livestock cool with this system.
You can also enjoy:
“Meat Rabbit: Half Your Protein in 10 Minutes a Day (Video)”
Watch how we’ve managed to keep mothers, babies, and even a sexually capable dad bunny healthy and happy in mid-July!
As usual, this is all done very simply and easily – without any electricity. Here’s a must-see video for anyone living in a hot area:
Off Grid Air Conditioner with Mr Simple
As you can see, aside from making sure water and shade are always available, the most important part of this system is the misting.
I’m using a simple spray system with plastic tubing and fittings that I got from my local farm supply store to keep my livestock cool. I’ve only used gravity to pressurize the whole system with moderate success.
Oh, and if you like the watering unit I use for chickens, I’ll show you how to build it in my free ebook, Simple and Effective Livestock Watering Systems. In it, you’ll learn to create a high-capacity, low-maintenance, simple watering system that you can build yourself using easy-to-find materials.
You can also enjoy:
“5 Excellent Reasons to Raise Chickens”
This system Relying on the same concept as a flush toilet, it can be replicated with a container of your choice and maintained with a little weed (really!).
Access it for free in the TGN Dashboard.simply Create a free account. Then, after logging in, click “View My Dashboard” in the upper right corner of the home page and scroll down to the “My Library” section.
What do you think?
What are your best off-grid tips for operating misting systems and finding other ways to keep livestock cool during the hot summer months? Let us know in the comments section below!
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This is an updated version of an article originally published on July 24, 2103.
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Marjory Wildcraft is the founder of The Grow Network, a community focused on modern self-sufficient living. She has been named an expert on off-grid living by National Geographic, she hosts the Mother Earth News Online Homes Summit, and is listed on Who’s Who in America for inspiring hundreds of thousands of backyard gardens. Marjory is the focus of a Reuters Food Sustainability Media Award winning article, she recently wrote Growing Systems: The Essential Guide to Modern Self-Sufficient Living – From Growing Food to Making Medicines.
