PowerSwitch

vtsnowedin · Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2018 11:12 pm Post subject:

Considering that the domestic sheep originated in the middle east I'd think they would be more heat tolerant. But given that, I would not want to be a domestic sheep that had not been closely clipped before this week.

emordnilap · Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2018 12:50 pm Post subject:

Sheep really should lose their coats in summer.
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"Buddhists say we come back as animals and they refer to them as lesser beings. Well, animals aren’t lesser beings, they’re just like us. So I say fụck the Buddhists" - Bjork

adam2 · Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2018 1:29 pm Post subject:

I know not of what breed the sheep were, they had been shorn.
No significant numbers of sheep are kept, just a handful for eating by the family.

The cows seem to have got the idea of grazing by electric lights at night, and sleeping under the trees during the day.

Many of the chickens have perished, presumably of the heat. They had plenty of shade, but I fear that temperatures even in the shade were too high.
Chickens are of course kept in the tropics, but I suspect that they gradually adapt. A sudden and extreme heatwave was too much for birds used to cooler conditions.
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"Installers and owners of emergency diesels must assume that they will have to run for a week or more"

woodburner · Joined: 06 Apr 2009 Posts: 3722

I doubt the original sheep had such thick coats, unless they were up mountains. I suspect they had thinner coats than uk sheep today.

Surprising what there is to find when you’re looking for original sheep: What do you get from sheep?

kenneal - lagger · Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2018 11:20 pm Post subject:

The other thing that pigs enjoy in hot, sunny weather is a muddy puddle. It's their equivalent of air conditioning and sun tan lotion wrapped in one! They will wallow in it most of the day, when they're not rooting.
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As Steve Keen puts it: “Capital without energy is a statue; labour without energy is a corpse.” Economics ignores this which is why economics is broken.

boisdevie · Joined: 26 Dec 2012 Posts: 221 Location: N Lancashire

My tips are: wear shorts all day with sandals (but no socks of course). And leave the jogging for early morning or late evening.
There, problem fixed.

vtsnowedin · Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2018 11:11 pm Post subject:

fuzzy · Joined: 29 Nov 2013 Posts: 726 Location: The Marches, UK

Is it always a 3.5 hr commute? I couldn't face that either.

vtsnowedin · Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 10:51 am Post subject:

vtsnowedin · Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 3:23 pm Post subject:

I've had a front move through with thundershowers that dropped about an inch of rain. That brought the temp down to 75F which is quite a relief.

boisdevie · Joined: 26 Dec 2012 Posts: 221 Location: N Lancashire

"I have relatives that live and work in the New York urban area that have a ten mile commute that can take two and a half hours most days." - don't bicycles exist in America?

vtsnowedin · Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2018 2:43 am Post subject:

adam2 · Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2018 3:14 pm Post subject:

My friends dairy cattle are now prospering, despite the heat, they have become used to grazing at night and during he cooler part of the day.

Milk yields have increased, as has the milk price.

The grass is growing excellently with a bit of irrigation. It is most unusual to water pasture, but as they have the water, why not ?
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"Installers and owners of emergency diesels must assume that they will have to run for a week or more"

vtsnowedin · Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 12:15 am Post subject:

adam2 · Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 3:47 pm Post subject:

The cows seem much happier, they look contented and are yielding well.
Food intake is almost entirely grass plus a very little cattle cake.

The land is not the best pasture, but the stocking rate is very low.

The lower fields are liable to flooding at times and even in this heatwave the grass is growing excellently.
The higher fields are much drier and without watering would be worthless in a drought.
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"Installers and owners of emergency diesels must assume that they will have to run for a week or more"