Gibson Co. Fair animals get extra care in heat - 14 News, WFIE, Evansville, Henderson, Owensboro

Gibson Co. Fair animals get extra care in heat

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GIBSON CO., IN (WFIE) -

The Gibson County Fair kicked off Sunday morning, but officials at the 4-H Fairground say their showing schedule is subject to change due to the heat for the safety of some of their animals. 

Animals aren't much different than people in the fact that they don't handle record breaking heat very well. It is, however, a little more difficult to tell how badly they're affected.

John Feutz is one of the organizers and also an area veterinarian. He says the animals are checked every hour and if they're panting heavily, that's a sure sign they're not doing well.
     
Feutz says they've brought in oversized fans and misters to keep the animals cool and they're also limiting their time in the pavilion.

"We've kind of altered our schedule a little bit off normal, where we're allowing some early releases and some late arrivals depending on when the show time is. So the animals are probably not going to be required to be here the full week of the fair like they normally are because of the heat," said John Feutz, a 4-H organizer.

14 News spoke to some of those 4-H members exhibiting their animals and was told the cattle seem to be doing the best, but it's the chickens and rabbits suffer the most in the heat.

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