Dutch summer days keep getting warmer and sunnier. Especially cows suffer from this. It is important for dairy cattle to get enough cooling during these warm, sunny days. A cow is hardly capable of managing its own body temperature during these high temperatures, which could cause heat stress. To create a healthy cow climate and stabile milk production, TS Group Holland supplies various mist cooling systems to cool stables and prevent heat stress.
Recent weather data from KNMI have shown that Dutch summers will keep getting warmer and sunnier. With more short and heavy showers, but also more drought. On top of that the Netherlands will warm up twice as fast as the global average.
Better to prevent than to cure
Heat stress is caused by various environmental factors like air temperature, air humidity, air speed and exposure to direct sunlight. The optimal environmental temperature for dairy cattle lays between -5°C and 18°C. For at least two months a year the temperature in Holland exceeds the critical temperature of 20°C, which costs the cow a lot of extra energy to be able to dispose the heat. The cow will be hardly capable of managing its own body temperature.
Research has shown that a milk cow suffering from heat stress shows a reduced food intake and loses bodyweight because of it. The milk production decreases and can stay below the norm for quite some time. The aftermath of heat stress can take about six weeks, where the cow experiences various symptoms.
Healthy cow climate and stabile milk production
During warm days the farmer can make sure there is enough air circulation and fresh drinking water in the stable. That, however, is not always enough to beat the heat. To be able to create a healthy cow climate and a stabile milk production, TS Group Holland supplies various mist cooling systems that are very suitable to cool stables and prevent heat stress. Research shows that a high pressure mist system in combination with plenty of shade and air circulation has a very positive effect on your dairy cattle’s production.
The water, that is atomised through 2mm nozzles, evaporates immediately in the stable’s air. Water is needed for evaporation; this heat is extracted from the environmental air, which cools the temperature in the stable. With this the system can lower the actual temperature in the stable by 6 to 8 degrees. Without the cattle and the stable getting wet.
The farmer can battle different problems at the same time, while using the mist cooling system: optimising the air humidity, cooling, keeping dust down, nicer work climate and fly nuisance.
