Relaxed Farming - our farm in your classroom

We have just had the second of two VERY hot days! In hot weather, warm bloodied animals, including humans, keep cool by sweating and/or panting and we have been seeing a lot of this around the smallholding. Sweating and panting means that water 'evaporates' from the animals' bodies. Running and playing in hot weather means more sweating and panting, keeping still and staying in the shade means less sweating and panting. Sweating is something that only mammals do (through sweat glands): some mammals, such as humans, have sweat glands all over their bodies; dogs only have them in their feet. Alpacas only have sweat glands on the underside of their bellies. A lot of mammals (including sheep and goats) will pant first and only then sweat if they still need to get cooler.
Birds don't sweat at all, they just pant to keep cool and when it is really hot they sometimes hold their wings out from their bodies so that the heat can escape. Fortunately, most animals on the smallholding tend to be very good at finding shade when it is hot. We say 'most' because the turkeys are NOT that good at getting into the shade. In the first photo you can see Victoria standing in the full sun, panting away. In the second our Muscovy drake and Indian Game cockerel are both sensibly enjoying the shade and in the third, a very heavily pregnant Parsley (due on or after 1st July) has tucked herself away in the cool of one of the houses.
It is really important that animals have drinking water available all the time but in hot weather it is crucial because all the water that is evaporating when they pant and sweat needs to be replaced. If animals don't have enough water in their bodies they 'dehydrate' which means all sorts of 'normal' things that happen in their bodies, such as blood moving around and muscles working properly no longer happen and the animal can become very ill. This can happen to humans too which is why your teachers 'nag' you to always have your water bottles full in hot weather.