Heat Stress Concerns

There is a lot of buzz in the nutritional world regarding Heat Stress and how it can limit production in whitetail deer. Being on the nutritional forefront, we identified this as a major limiting variable with whitetail deer and in turn have been including the Cargill Cooling Pak in our premium Record Rack rations in southern regions for the last three years. This is a major reason why we are able to get increased palatability vs other commercial pelleted rations that do not have this technology during heat stress periods. It is important to point out that this is proprietary technology and is not Tasco or Kelp. For those who are not familiar with it, what it is and what is does are elaborated below.

High heat and humidity limit the ability of whitetail deer to keep cool. This is especially true for high-yielding whitetail, which generate a lot of heat through their own digestion and metabolism. Heat stress can depress dry matter intake, reduce milk yield, increase reproductive problems and increase susceptibility to disease and limit a whitetail deer’s ability to fully express genetic characteristics. Heat stress represents a major threat to the profitability and sustainability of deer ranching in many parts of the country.  The cooling pack utilizes a technology combining key ingredients including an osmolite compound that helps animals stay hydrated under heat stress. This works at the cellular level to maintain the structural integrity of proteins sensitive to changes in body temperature. As a result, elevation of body temperature in ruminants during heat stress is moderated. University research and field trials have shown that the physiological effect of  (lower core body temperature) mitigates effects of heat stress on acidosis, milk quality and pregnancy rate. Should also help to maintain intake during the summer and improve nutrient uptake in the bloodstream for bucks growing antlers or replenishing mineral reserves after the completion of antler growth.