As we see the consequences of climate change, heat stress becomes a growing issue for high producing cattle. Rumen specific live yeast and antioxidants can counteract the effects of this problem.
Heat stress can cost dairy or beef farmers a significant amount of money, due to production losses in milk and growth. In dairy cows, the first short-term impact of heat stress is the reduction of milk yield. A 10 to 35% reduction is usually acknowledged. Acidosis risks are also increased. In beef, fattening cattle are the most sensitive to heat stress. Consequences include increased acidosis risks and the reduction of feed intake, in particular lower fibre consumption, which translates into lower growth performance and behavioural changes. Producers often see less calm, more nervous animals. It has been shown in fattening heifers that animals in the shade had a 100 g/day increase in average daily weight gain as compared to those with no shade due to higher feed intake in the shade. Moreover, these animals were less stressed and showed less carcass defaults (dark meat).
Source: All About Feed, 25 july 2016
