® and the effect on heat stress in dairy cows

One of the great challenges that the dairy industry faces, especially during the summer month, is heat stress. Increase in temperature, together with an increase in humidity, results in a decrease in milk production, feed intake, feed efficiency and even reduced growth rate in heifers (West, 1999). Reproduction and health are also negatively affected by heat stress (St Pierre et al., 2003). Different management systems are used to reduce the effect of heat stress on dairy cows, for example, fans with water sprayers or dairy cow housing (shading). However, not all dairies are able to implement these kind of management systems, and even with these, cows still experience a certain amount of heat stress, depending on the environment.