Right now, many livestock owners across the country are dealing with a difficult combination: extreme heat and increasingly dry conditions. Here in the Midwest, drought is adding another layer of concern as pastures dry, ponds shrink and water sources are placed under greater demand.

For pig owners, this is not weather to simply ride out.

Water, shade and cooling need to become the priorities of every day.

Pigs are particularly vulnerable to excessive heat because they have very limited ability to cool themselves by sweating. Instead, they depend heavily on shade, water, mud, airflow and behavioral changes to regulate their body temperature.

Kunekunes may be wonderful pasture pigs, but they are still pigs. During prolonged periods of intense heat, even a normally healthy animal can become overheated surprisingly quickly.

Water Is the First Priority

During a heat wave, simply knowing that there is a waterer in the pasture isn't enough.

Check it. Then check it again.

Make sure every pig has continuous access to clean, fresh water throughout the day. Physically verify that automatic waterers are working and that nipples, valves and hoses have adequate flow. A full tank doesn't help if a valve has clogged or a pig cannot get enough water from it.

Heat stress can significantly increase a pig's water consumption, making water one of the most important things to monitor.

During extreme conditions, I strongly recommend having more than one source of drinking water available whenever practical. A backup tub or waterer can become extremely valuable if the primary system fails while you're away.

Clean waterers frequently as well. Warm weather encourages algae and bacterial growth, particularly in tubs sitting in direct sunlight.

Don't Depend on a Drought-Stressed Pond

Drought changes water quality as well as water quantity.

As ponds become shallower and warmer, contaminants can become more concentrated and algae can flourish. Stagnant, nutrient-contaminated water can develop blue-green algae capable of poisoning livestock, so farm ponds deserve especially close monitoring during hot, dry conditions.

If a pond develops unusual green scum, an odd color, strong odor or suspicious algae growth, do not assume the water is safe simply because livestock have used the pond before.

When possible, provide pigs with clean water from a controlled waterer rather than depending on drought-stressed surface water.

Shade Must Be Real Shade

A small shelter that provided adequate shade in spring may not provide enough protection when temperatures approach triple digits.

Look at your pasture during the hottest portion of the afternoon. Is there enough shaded ground for every pig to lie down without crowding another pig out?

Trees can provide excellent shade, as can open-sided shelters, shade cloth and well-ventilated structures. The important thing is that the shade remains available as the sun moves and that air can circulate underneath it.

A closed shed that traps hot air can actually become less comfortable than an open shaded area.

Light-colored pigs also benefit from shade because prolonged direct sunlight can cause sunburn.

Give Them Somewhere to Cool Their Bodies

A good wallow isn't just pigs making a mess.

It's part of their cooling system.

Because pigs cannot effectively sweat, lying in cool mud or wet ground helps remove body heat. Mud also provides some protection from direct sunlight.

During drought, natural wallows disappear quickly, so you may need to create or maintain one.

A sprinkler can also help. Apply cool water to the pig's skin and allow evaporation to provide cooling rather than simply flooding an area continuously. Use cool—not ice-cold—water when helping an overheated pig cool down.

Move Chores to the Cooler Parts of the Day

This is not the week to chase pigs around a pasture at 3:00 in the afternoon.

Whenever possible, schedule feeding, moving pigs, hoof work, loading, sorting and other stressful activities for early morning or later in the evening.

Avoid unnecessary transportation during the hottest part of the day. Even a short trailer ride can add heat, confinement and stress at exactly the time you're trying to minimize all three.

If something can safely wait until the temperature drops, let it wait.

Don't Be Alarmed if They Eat Less—but Pay Attention

Pigs commonly reduce feed intake during hot weather because digestion itself produces heat.

Offering meals during the cooler morning and evening hours can help. Keep feed fresh, especially if you're using wet or fermented feeds, because warm temperatures can cause feed to spoil rapidly once it's exposed.

What matters is distinguishing a pig that is less interested in food because it is hot from a pig that is becoming ill or dangerously heat stressed.

Water consumption, behavior and breathing deserve particular attention.

Learn the Early Signs of Heat Stress

Spend a little extra time actually watching your pigs during a heat wave.

Rapid or labored breathing, persistent panting, excessive lethargy, seeking isolation, unwillingness to move, weakness or unusual behavior should get your attention.

If a pig appears seriously overheated, move it to shade with good airflow, separate it from crowding if necessary and begin cooling it with cool rather than ice-cold water.

A pig that is stumbling, unable to stand, severely distressed, unresponsive or continuing to struggle to breathe needs immediate veterinary attention.

Drought Creates Problems Beyond the Temperature

Walk your pastures more frequently during drought.

When grass becomes scarce, pigs may investigate vegetation they normally ignore. Water sources deteriorate faster. Shade areas become heavily used. Electric fencing can behave differently as soil becomes exceptionally dry. And a small plumbing problem that normally wouldn't matter can become an emergency when there is no other available water.

Drought isn't just a pasture problem. It changes the entire environment your animals depend upon.

Our Heat-Wave Rule at BF Farm

When temperatures become dangerous, we keep things simple:

Water first. Shade second. Cooling third. Then check everybody again.

A few extra minutes spent walking the pasture, testing a waterer or watching a pig's breathing can catch a problem before it becomes an emergency.

During ordinary weather, a failed water valve is an inconvenience.

During extreme heat, it can become life-threatening in a matter of hours.

So throughout this heat wave and drought, check your pigs more often than usual. Make sure every animal can reach clean water. Give them plenty of real shade. Maintain their wallows or other cooling areas. Avoid unnecessary stress during the hottest hours.

And perhaps most importantly, don't assume that because everything was fine this morning, it will still be fine this afternoon.

Extreme weather demands a little more from us as caretakers.

Our pigs are counting on us.

— BF Farm

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