A pig's cooling system is entirely yours to provide
Most farm animals sweat or pant efficiently enough to shed heat; pigs effectively cannot sweat at all, which is why they are so determined about wallowing. A pig in summer is an animal relying completely on its surroundings to stay at a safe temperature, and the surroundings are your responsibility: shade to rest in, wet mud or water to coat the skin, and air that moves. When any one of those is missing, a pig's temperature climbs quickly, and a large, well-grown pig generates and holds heat faster than a small one, so the biggest animals in the group are the ones to watch first on a still, hot afternoon.
Shade that works all day, not just at noon
Check the shade your pigs actually have at several times of day, because a shelter that shades the pen beautifully at ten in the morning may offer nothing by three. Every pig in the group needs to be able to lie in shade at the same time — a shaded corner big enough for two while five pigs crowd around it means the lowest-ranking animals spend the hottest hours in full sun. Shade over the sleeping area matters, but so does shade near water and over part of the outdoor run, so a pig does not have to choose between drinking and staying out of the sun. Watch where pigs choose to lie on a hot day; they will show you exactly which part of the pen stays coolest.
The wallow is sunscreen as well as air conditioning
Pigs plaster themselves in mud for two separate reasons. As the moisture evaporates from the mud coating, it draws heat out of the skin far more effectively than the pig could manage alone. And once dried, that same layer of mud is a physical sunscreen — which matters enormously for white and pink-skinned pigs, whose ears, shoulders and backs burn to real soreness in strong sun. Keep the wallow topped up and muddy rather than letting it bake into cracked, dry earth, site it where it does not foul the drinking water, and make sure a timid pig can reach it without crossing the boss pig's favourite lying spot.
Water, feeding times and handling in hot weather
Drinking water runs out and gets knocked over or fouled fastest exactly when it is needed most, so in a hot spell the drinkers need checking morning, midday and evening rather than once. Feed at the cooler ends of the day: digestion itself generates heat, and a pig encouraged to eat a big meal at midday is being warmed from the inside at the worst possible time. Postpone non-essential handling, moving and loading to early morning — a pig stressed and hurried in peak heat can overheat dangerously before the job is finished.
Heatstroke signs that mean act now
A pig that is panting hard, drooling, restless, then dull and reluctant to rise, with skin that feels hot and may look blotchy, is in trouble. Move her into shade if she will walk, wet her gradually with cool — not ice-cold — water, and call the vet while you work; heatstroke in a pig escalates fast and guessing wrong costs the animal. Sunburn alone also deserves action: blistered, peeling skin on the back and ears is painful, invites infection and needs shade, mud access and veterinary advice if the skin is broken.
None of this care is complicated, but it is spread across the whole day — drinkers at dawn, shade and wallow checks at midday, feeding pushed to evening. Setting those summer jobs out as named duties in KinsLe Care Teams, with each completed check timestamped, means the midday visit that actually prevents heatstroke does not get quietly dropped on a busy day.