In this heat, how do Minnesota State Fair animals and their handlers cope?

From rabbits lying on freezer-chilled tiles to a long line of cows enjoying frequent showers, it took some extra work to keep animals cool during the scorching heat Wednesday at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.

One day before the fair's opening, 4-H kids and parents said this was the hottest they've ever experienced.

"We're making sure to supplement their water with electrolytes, and we're going to have to get a bigger fan because it's making the animals so stressed," said Karol Carlson, a Floodwood resident sitting with her grandson and his 7-month-old calf.

The side streets around the fair's cattle barn were bustling with cows being led to and from watering areas, including the side of a shed with hoses and a corner shower where some had to wait in line. One handler said she was spraying her cow every hour to beat the heat.

Shawn Crouch of Houston, Minn., was chatting with others and said it had gotten too hot to cuddle with his cow. While the heat meant he has to provide more water and wash him more often, he said he was prepared.

"It's part of it," he said.

In another area for pigs and goats, Tammy Eischens and her 20-year-old son Alex, said the pen for their goat had good air flow and benefited from a large fan in the rafters. Some other areas had to equip the pens with fans pointed directly at their animals.

But Eischens, who also volunteers for 4-H, said she's confident families know how to manage it.

"Every 4-H family I've worked with has been very good at monitoring their animals for stress, illness and heat," she said.

Wednesday broke the daily record for high temperature in many parts of Minnesota. But heat indexes were higher, including in St. Paul, where it felt like 110 degrees in the afternoon.

Things were quieter in the horse barn Wednesday, where Jessi Veurink tended to her two horses. She said their size makes it somewhat trickier to cool them down.

"Our biggest and baddest fans came with us," Veurink said, adding it would be tough if her horses had to stay into next week.

"Let's get this heat over with," she said.

Down the aisle in a barn for rabbits and birds, teenagers were switching out tile squares that rabbits were sitting on, returning used ones to a freezer for rechilling.

While Veurink's animals don't mind drinking tap water, some required filters to get rid of the chlorine if they are used to well water. Others needed time to adjust to the local water said Cody Ostertag, a 16-year-old.

"Well water and city water, it's pretty different," said Ostertag, who's caring for a cow in this year's fair.

He said the animals can also struggle more or less depending on what they are used to.

"If they were staying in a cooled barn, they probably have to be washed more," he said.

Fifteen-year-old Olivia Boie, from Steele County, said she was making sure to frequently use her spray water bottle on her pig, and that many others with pigs have taken frequent trips to get them washed down.

"The heat makes it harder for them to eat, so we have to really pound the water on them," Boie said. "Constantly, every hour I take him down to the rinser."