[Lesley Silvester]

Since the heatwave started my girls are eating less of their concentrates and Pom's yield has dropped from four to three pints a day. Are others finding the same? Will it go up again when the weather cools down a bit? They're still eating their dried grass so I gave them double the quantity today and gave Pom half the usual concentrates with noen for Cloud.

[cans]

Hi,
Do you know if they are drinking sufficient water?  Just like us they need to keep up their fluid intake, especially if they are milking.

[sokel]

Some of ours have dropped aswell but they are not eating much and not browsing much , they are just slumped down trying to keep cool bit like me really 

[Lesley Silvester]

They have access to water all day and we are giving them more than usual. I'm also making the food a bit sloppier than usual. Any suggestions how to get more down them?

[benkt]

strawberries? Mine are going mad for the bruised ones at the moment and we're picking lots!

[cans]

If you are giving them more than usual and their food sloppier then that should be ok.  Hopefully when the weather gets a bit cooler the milk should come up again.  Are you able to offer other 'munchies' besides concentrates and dried grass?   Branches, willow herb, apples.....?

[little blue]

just don't over do anything that make make their droppings "Loose"  as this can lead to dehydration,

our Geraldine has over done it abit and hers is now quite a bright colour  - frightened the o/h but I've seen it before (what does that tell you about us?! )   so less nettles/grass/willow and concentrates so that she'll eat her hay like a good goat...
 

[Lesley Silvester]

They have a pile of branches dehydrating in the corner of their yard, which they occasionally nibble at in the evening. Last night they didn't even eat all their dried grass. Pom was panting while I was milking her so I tried cooling them down by splashing some cold water on them but, as you can imagine, they weren't impressed and probably heated up even more running away from me. Gratitude huh!

They are fine in themselves so I'm not worried. Just wondered if other peeps on here were having the same thing.

[plumseverywhere]

Not yet, Savannah is still on the up and up and up. I'm filling my 3rd freezer with her milk now to have enough to tide us through winter when she's dried.

[Lesley Silvester]

They are livelier now it's cooler. I'm sure it's just the heat. Maybe Savannah is still producing well because they have the field and are up high. It must be breezier than in my garden.

[plumseverywhere]

could be, I hadn't thought of that. I think the heat is affecting everyone/every thing - its very debilitating isn't it? the sheep are whacked out and just sleeping in the shade, goats rarely coming out of their sheds. Don't like to moan...but could we have it a bit cooler pleeeeeeeease?? 

[fiestyredhead331]

enough already with your heatwave 

we've had nothing but wind and rain for the last 3 days 

but the weather mans says the jet stream is heading north to Greenland instead of sitting right over me so we may get some sunshine at the end of the week, been a rubbish 14c today and I'm soaked through!

[Lesley Silvester]

I've had a couple of evenings when the yield was back up but it doesn't last. I'm sure it's the heat though.

[sokel]

We have had 6 ltrs more today than we have had for the last week

[Anke]

Some of mine are more affected than others..., but no drastic drops. I have no idea about their butterfats though... they do drink a lot more than usual.