Avoidance |
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Because the farm and utility electrical systems are grounded for safety reasons, step and
touch potentials can be measured at almost any location on an operating dairy farm.
However, we need only be concerned about those step and touch voltages that exist
at or above levels of concern in areas that are accessible to livestock.
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Some farm locations are more likely to have elevated step and touch voltages than others
because of the type of gradients present and their sources. However, not all situations
that cause perceptible stray voltage result in difficulties with herd health or production.
This is because cows easily learn to avoid these locations.
It is only when an animal is deprived of its freedom to move away
that it cannot avoid the unwanted consequences of a stray voltage.
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Passageways and places of confinement are the obvious areas of concern, because the cow
cannot avoid experiencing a perceptible stray voltage if one is present.
Stray voltage at a waterer may interfere with a cow's drinking behavior if the water source is
the only one available. If the cow has the ability to drink from several sources,
as is often the case, the amount of water it consumes will likely be unaffected.
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Just as the cow learns to avoid contact with electric fences, it
will learn to avoid locations where perceptible stray voltages are present.
So, not every stray voltage situation
on a farm necessarily has an impact on animal behavior
and production; it depends on location and circumstances.
If a cow finds a certain spot objectionable, it simply moves on. |
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This observation is not intended to condone or dismiss stray voltage
situations that threaten animal health and farmstead production.
It is important to realize that some stray voltages
will always be present in the earth, whether natural or man-made,
and that most of these stray voltages go unobserved because they are below
the level of perception or concern to animals and humans.
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