Keeping Sheep Cool

How do sheep stay cool in the warm weather?

Many different ways!

First, they always have cool water and shade, which are very important.

Here, they’ve found a cool spot under the trees by the pond to take advantage of a cool breeze. They take advantage of their natural air conditioning – exchanging hot air in their lungs for the cooler air outside the body.

You’ll notice that they were sheared this spring, as they are each year, so the bulk of their fleece is off for the summer.  They’re not completely naked, though – the little bit of wool that’s left helps protect against bugs and sunburn.  (A little bit of wool is not a bad thing to have when the temperature dips into the 50’s with rain either!)

Showing just how smart sheep are, they limit their movements during the heat of the day and wait until the cool of the evening to graze.

And there’s one more property of wool that helps: it’s great insulation.  Believe it or not, wool works like the insulation in your house to keep heat out when necessary, as well as keep it in at the appropriate time.  Here are a few projects that help people enjoy wool in the summer, too!

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