It’s time to get ready to jump in the water and get your hands dirty in the mud pool as you paddle your little paper boats over the little streams of water flowing by your side. Here comes the monsoon, and we are ready to savor one of the happy seasons. However, in some places it is the time of joy, and for the rest, it rains buckets. With the onset of monsoon, the environment is subject to death like flooding and in such case it causes serious loss to mankind, flora and fauna. As we take preventative measures and take extra care of ourselves during the rainy season, the same is needed for animals, especially livestock that roam and live in open fields, leaving them exposed to life-threatening diseases. This is the time when the temperature drops and farmers begin to assess how the changing climate would affect their livestock’s health, productivity and efficiency. Dairy farmers begin to plan and gather the resources they would need to manage and protect their cattle. Animals require a lot of attention during this time when they need to maintain a normal body temperature in the face of cold. Torrential rains affect ambient humidity to the point that the temperature drops well below the lower temperature limit, causing stress to animals.

This forces the animals to respond in some way, for example by seeking shelter or increasing metabolic activity, which could help them maintain their body temperature in the increasing cold. Therefore, this increases your dietary requirements, especially quality foods that are high in energy content.

Specifically, cows require feed that is packed with essential nutrients as they consume more energy to adapt to weather conditions and maintain positive energy balance. If cows don’t get quality feed supplements, they end up using reserved energy stored in the body to generate heat and manage the body’s function to produce high-quality milk.

Eventually, this causes the depletion of stored body fat, ultimately causing weight loss and attenuation of the insulating substance under the skin, exposing them to cold and stressful weather.

The condition seems worse for heifers who could calve calves in such poor body condition, giving them a difficult and painful calving and the birth of weak, underweight calves.

This situation results in a calf mortality rate that leads to mothers producing less milk with a delayed oestrus cycle, which reduces the reproductive rate.

In addition to the impact on livestock, the heavy downpour also affects other things. It becomes difficult to bale hay, keep cattle feed dry, and watch out for aflatoxins (poisonous carcinogens that cause liver damage and cancer). These harmful toxins reduce forage quality and reduce consumption by animals due to high contamination.

Therefore, it is necessary to keep dry feed away from rain to prevent mold, especially hay. Manure and silage should also be stored in a dry place to prevent it from freezing, since the cows cannot consume it at that time. Manure is likely to lose vital components, so it should be stacked and stored in a suitable place away from moisture.

To make sure your animals maintain their desired body temperature and body weight, you need to follow certain steps that will help you manage your livestock during the rains and save your money being spent in the wrong places.

1. Cleanliness is the most important.

Animals are likely to pick up diseases easily during this season, exposing various health issues. Therefore, keeping animals clean and dry is always the first requirement that must be met. In addition, the teats of the cows must also be regularly cleaned and disinfected before and after milking. This helps prevent the milk from becoming contagious.

2. Increase the amount of feeding.

The animals, during this period, need more food and energy to produce heat to survive in the cold weather. Feed cattle nutritional grains and drilling. In case only wet feed is available, make sure it is not too cold or frozen. Also, build adequate and sturdy shelter so that they are not affected by strong winds.

3. Prepare dry bedding.

Creating a shed is not enough. Making adequate and warm bedding for cows is equally important, as wet, dirty or dirty bedding leaves them open to health problems. Therefore, a bed of dry sand is best, however availability is limited. In such situations, you can opt for dry straws or animal mattresses.

4. Drinking water supply.

The rainy season does not imply sufficient drinking water. The cows must be adequately fed with clean and drinkable water to avoid a reduction in the consumption of feed by the cows. However, you must make sure that the water you supply is not too cold or below freezing temperature.

5. Drain standing water.

The accumulation of rainwater during the monsoon is evident and frequent. But the same also provides a natural platform for the growth of harmful bacteria and diseases. Therefore, preserving a hygienic environment works well to prevent it.