Our pigs (I should start calling them hogs now since they are now so big!) are our number one priority. It gets hot here in the Sacramento Valley so before the first day over 100 degrees came, we made sure our pigs were ready and can find some relief from the sweltering heat. As I have written about before, pigs can't sweat so they need mud and shade (or a climate controlled barn) to keep cool.
Shade - We make sure they is enough shade so all of the pigs can get out of the sun at the same time.
Mister system - we have a mister system set up to run on a timer during the hottest part of the day.
The pigs are able to take refuge from the heat under the misters. You can see from their hole that they like to hang out right where it is shady and cool from the misters.
Water and mud - Since we cannot spray them down all day we set up a sprinkler to run (again on a timer) in the early afternoon. The pigs love to play with the water
and they also love to hang out in the mud.
Even after the sprinkler is off, they are left with mud holes and another place to beat the heat.
Another thing that is always available to our pigs is water. That should go without saying, but I just wanted to make sure to add that. There are two nipples that supply as much fresh water as the pigs can drink.
Most pigs are not raised like our pigs (see what Flat Aggie learned about a commercial operation here), but all producers have one thing in common - we care about the well being of our pigs.
Please leave a comment and tell me what you think! Do you have any suggestions for us? How do YOU keep cool in the heat of the summer?
3 comments:
I appreciate all the tips. Thanks!
Looks like a Piggy Day Spa!
They are so cute!! Will you eventually slaughter them??
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