High temperatures take their toll on the performance of hogs and sows and can reduce boar fertility.
Keeping your pigs cool in hot weather can boost productivity and save you money, says a swine expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. When the temperature is too high, a pig usually finds a wet spot in the pen. If there is none, the best it can do is lie on its side and pant. When pigs experience heat stress, they eat less and their growth slows. Sows that are too hot can have trouble conceiving, and heat hampers sperm development and fertility in boars.