Keep livestock Healthy and Performing with Clean Fresh Water

 

                                                                                (photo by Gerald Stoka)

Well summer is hear and the hot drier days may start soon.  Thinking about your livestock’s water supply is critical to their success. Water is a building block for life, whether it be for humans, plants, or animals. Water quantity is often questioned water resources are limited, drought conditions persist or livestock have to travel extreme distances to get water.  However, water quality is sometimes overlooked as an important aspect of grazing livestock production.

The amount of water animals consume depends on a number of factors, including growth stage, lactation, activity, diet composition, environmental temperature, and water quality. For example, sheep and goats may drink up to 3% of their body weight a day, a beef cow can drink 5% of its body weight per day, whereas a high-producing dairy cow can drink up to 20%. However, livestock will not drink enough to meet their needs if their water is low quality.

Water quality declines faster in the summer when the water gets warmer, algae films bloom, evaporation rates accelerate leaving behind higher concentrations of elements or run off water sources become stagnant.  Also, many of the most common types of water sources for grazing livestock are ponds and trough or tank systems, and water quality varies between these sources.

University research studies comparing the effect of water sources on average daily gain on ewes, lambs, does, kids, cows, calves, steers and horses gained significantly more pounds per day or performed better when supplied with clean fresh water.  Water quality also impacts the correlation between water consumption, and feed intake. As water quality declines the livestock drink less, which ultimately limits how much they eat and their overall performance.

Although the cleanliness of the supply is a major concern regarding water quality, taste or palatability can have a impact as well. In other studies livestock consumption variations have varied when water had a off taste or smell even when there were know no statistical differences in water chemistry or biological constitutes between two or more sources.

Livestock with access to clean, aerated water from troughs spend more time grazing and less time resting than those that drink directly from run off ponds or troughs that are not cleaned or refreshed often ponds. Water quality is essential on every farm, but it may have a bigger impact on operations with stocker or growing livestock than on the breeding herd. 

Whatever type operation you run, water quantity and quality may impact overall profitability. If you have questions or concerns about your water plans please contact your local Extension agent who can direct you to various water resources in the area.