Dairy Producers Encouraged to Add Cooling Buffer to Reduce Effects of Heat Stress


Wi th temperatures warming Cargi l l is encouraging dairy producers to adapt their feeding and management to reduce the effects of heat stress in their cows. As part of this, they are encouraging producers with high yielding cows to take advantage of the new cooling buffer, Equaliser®


CoolCow. A unique blend of internal cooling


elements, including an osmolyte and rumen buffer, Equaliser CoolCow has been shown to help maintain feed intake and milk production and improve cow comfort. Included in the TMR, or in compound feed, Equaliser CoolCow


helps regulate core body temperature by hydrating the cow at the cellular level, due to the osmolyte, and by restoring the electrolyte balance. It will also support rumen function and maintain feed intake.


“Heat stress in dairy cows arises from a combination of


temperature and humidity,” says Cargill’s ruminant technical manager Philip Ingram (pictured above). “Temperatures don’t need to be especially high, but if it’s humid too, cows can be under heat stress and feel uncomfortable. They will alter their normal feeding and lying routines. As a result, milk yield and fertility will suffer.” Risk of heat stress is measured with a Temperature Humidity


Index (THI). High yielding cows start experiencing heat stress when the THI rises above 68. An ambient temperature of 22°C with a relative humidity of 60% equates to a THI of 68 and will trigger heat stress in dairy cows.


Relative humidity (%) 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100


20.0 20.5 21.0 21.5 22.0 22.5 23.0 23.5 24.0 24.5


Interaction between temperature and relative humidity provides a Temperature Humidity Index. Cows experience heat stress above a THI of 68 (orange area) Source: Cargill, 2017


without Equaliser® CoolCow “UK weather data shows that mean daily THI was above 68


during July and August in 2016 and 2017, and consistently above 68 for at least three months, from June to August, in 2018,” adds Dr Ingram. “Also, the THI is normally three to seven points higher in the sheds than outdoors, depending on barn design, so housed cows can be more at risk.” Cows suffering from heat stress will pant more and stand rather


than lay down, as they lose more heat from their underside which helps them cool down. They will tend to stand in the cooler parts of the building and around water troughs. “Intakes will typically fall in heat stressed cows, and cows may


show fewer signs of oestrus. Panting can affect her acid-base balance and put her at greater risk of acidosis.”


Heat stress H2 O H2 O


Equaliser® CoolCow


with Equaliser®


CoolCow


How Equaliser CoolCow works on body cells in heat stress conditions


Conservative estimates put the damages of heat stress, through


lost milk, decreased fertility and less efficient use of feed, at £40 to £85 a cow in a typical UK year. CoolCow has been used successfully across Europe, including


north western countries, to alleviate the effects of heat stress,” says Dr Ingram. “It helps to cool them down and to maintain rumen function, so


intakes don’t falter. The aim is to keep cows comfortable and enable them to maintain their normal pattern of lying and eating so that production and well-being is maintained throughout the summer.” Equaliser CoolCow is a powder additive that is added to the


lactating cow ration at a rate of 100 to 150 g/head/day from May to the end of September to ensure cover throughout the summer. “Managing heat stress also requires adequate supplies of clean


water and plenty of trough space. A meter of water space for every 10 cows is recommended. Buildings should be well ventilated too, with efficient fans, and feed should be fresh and pushed up regularly to encourage intake.”


FEED COMPOUNDER MAY/JUNE 2019 PAGE 61


Heat stress


Temperature o


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