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University of California
Abstract
A microclimatic study comparing a wood corral and a wire pen (dirt floor) surrounded by a green alfalfa field, during the summer of 1954 in the Imperial Valley showed that the wire pen was decidedly cooler. Pen 2 (wire pen) had an air temperature 3.8° F. less than that of Pen 1 (wood corral), the wind velocity was 1.32 MPH faster in Pen 2, water temperature 4.9° F. lower in Pen 2, and the radiant heat load was as much as 9.5 B.T.U. less per hr. per sq. ft. of animal surface.
The cattle in Pen 2 gained 1.94 lb. per head per day, while those in Pen 1 made a daily gain of 1.51 lb. This difference in gain is significant at the 1 percent level.
A substantially cooler environment for cattle can be provided by proper corral construction, good shade, cool water, and a reduction of radiant heat. This test substantiates observations reported previously.
1 This paper is a result of a cooperative project between the U. S. Department of Agriculture and the Divisions of Animal Husbandry and Agricultural Engineering of the University of California. The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance of Phil Trask and Delbert Gaskin, Herdsmen, and of W. C. Rollins, Assistant Professor of Animal Husbandry, for his work on the statistical analyses.
2 Division of Animal Husbandry, El Centro, California.
3 Agricultural Engineer, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Davis.
4 Division of Agricultural Engineering, Davis.
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