Water is the most important essential nutrient in dairy cattle diets. Management practices surrounding water quality are just as important as other well-known management practices on farms. When was the last time you cleaned out water cups or tanks on your farm? How about the last time you took a water sample?
According to DAIReXNET, the average water requirement for dairy cattle is higher than any other land-based mammal. The reasoning behind that is the yield secretion is 87% of the water that dairy cattle consume. Water is important because it helps digestion, metabolism of energy, and metabolites to and from tissue.
Drinking water needs of dairy cattle,
- Milking cow, 35 to 45 gallons of water
- Dry Cow, 20 to 30 gallons of water
- Heifers, 10 to 15 gallons of water
- Calves, 1 to 1.5 gallons of water per 100 lbs body weight
As a farmer, it is a worthwhile task to improve the water quality on your farm if water intake is a problem. This will not only help the cow's overall health, but studies have shown that water consumption is linked to feed intake, which in turn will lead to an increase in milk production.
To determine if water intake is sufficient take a look at the animal's urine or manure. If the manure is abnormally firm, urine is yellow or reduced urine output the animal is likely not consuming adequate water intake levels.
Dairy cows can detect offensive odors and tastes in feed or water. This is the cow detecting the organoleptic properties of the feed or water. If the cow detects the water source has a smell that is unpalatable the cow will not drink the water. This leads to cows getting dehydrated or sick. A simple fix would be regularly cleaning water tanks, water cups, or anything the cows are readily consuming water from. The golden rule is that if you wouldn't drink the water from that source, your cattle shouldn’t be consuming it either.
Steps to clean a water tank, from the University of Alabama A&M Extension,
- Add one part of household chlorine bleach for 32 parts of water.
- Let the water sit for 15 minutes.
- Drain and scrub the tank wall.
- Keep livestock away from the tank for at least 30 minutes during cleaning.
Getting the tank empty can be difficult unless the tank has a built-in drain. If there isn’t a built-in drain, consider turning off the water and letting the livestock drink the water down to a point where it can be easily accessed.
Another way to help manage water is through a water quality test. Testing regularly isn’t necessary, but when a noticeable problem arises taking a sample would help identify the problem. When testing the water quality you are examining the physicochemical properties of the water. Which include: pH, hardness, sulfate, chloride, nitrate, total dissolved solids (TDS), toxic compounds and microorganisms. None of these are harmful in small amounts, but a water quality test would be able to evaluate which ones are at an unhealthy level.
There are 31 accredited water testing laboratories in Minnesota. Here is the link to the list on the Minnesota Department of Health page. Search for Accredited Laboratories - Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (state.mn.us)
Besides water quality, another factor affecting water intake could be the pH of silage consumed, protein content in feeds, and mineral ions. Working with your local nutritionist would be the next step in evaluating the problem.
Source : umn.edu