[dixie]

In the 12 years or so of having sheep we’ve never had such hot weather for so long. We don’t have much natural shelter as trees we planted still aren’t huge, the sheep are currently in the field where they have a hedge which  provides some shade but I am going away for a week and have a house sitter and wanted to move them to the field adjacent to the house where the only shade is from some fairly small trees and a small field shelter. I know they are insulated to cope with hot and cold but 28/30 deg is worrying it or am I over worrying? 

[SallyintNorth]

Personally I think all livestock must have access to shade, not least for avoiding the sun but also for getting away from the flies. 

How big is the field shelter?  Would they all be able to - and allow each other to - get into it at once?

Last year we used a pop-up gazebo to give the cattle some shade when they were grazing an open area for a few days.  I've seen people setting up tarp covers using trees and large poles to support...

And except when the sun is right overhead, tin sheets strapped to the fences provide a little bit of shade and shelter for sheep.

[Twotwo]

I also have problems with shade in some fields. I have found tying fence panels to hurdles and set at right angles making a zig zag pattern works well and can be moved reasonably easily, so the ground doesn’t get to poo-y or poached but as Sally-in- the -north says it doesn’t give them shade in the middle of the day, it also works for wind and rain.
The sheep seem to like sitting up against them even if they have tree shade.

[dixie]

Thank you I’ve decided to leave the gate open so they have access to both fields and more choice of shade 

[Fleecewife]

Shade and shelter for livestock are a couple of the reasons for having big bushy hedges all around your fields.  No help to you this time, but get them in now and you'll have them in a few year's time 




Sally - I'm amazed your cattle didn't shove the gazebo over 




A quick shelter from the sun for sheep can be made my knocking in four stobs, then placing a roof of some kind over it, a tarp, or tin sheets, or whatever you've got. This allows any breeze to blow through to keep it cool.  At a later date it can be given 3 sides of weather board to help keep the rain out (except when it comes from the fourth direction of course  , then they sit round the back.

[Penninehillbilly]

A quick shelter from the sun for sheep can be made my knocking in four stobs, then placing a roof of some kind over it, a tarp, or tin sheets, or whatever you've got. This allows any breeze to blow through to keep it cool.  At a later date it can be given 3 sides of weather board to help keep the rain out (except when it comes from the fourth direction of course  , then they sit round the back.

Thats just what I did FW, and now the hedge in the next field has grown more tree like there is lovely shade from about midday, but my 'table' type shelter needs extending, thinking of putting 2 posts +crosspiece in and running another 2 lengths of metal sheeting so it slopes down to them, stop the arguing when its raining :-)

[SallyintNorth]

This was the two adult Jerseys.  I’d not risk a gazebo with the young stock!

[Red]

For a really quick fix, we build walls of shade from bales of hay and straw, we’ve lots of shade with our woods but need to move the sheep to fresh grass so have made temporary shelter and put tarps over top, works fine