Water Quantity is Very Important in Dairy Cattle - Cowsmo

Water Quantity is Very Important in Dairy Cattle

While dairy farmers and their nutrition consultants obsess over balancing rations to the milligram, water quantity and quality are often overlooked.

Providing both adequate access to clean and pure water is the most important component to healthy cattle and high production, says Dave Beede, a dairy nutrition specialist with Michigan State University. High producing cows will drink 35 gallons of water daily.

Studies show cows milked 3X will drink up to 50% of their total water intake as they exit the parlor. In a survey of northeast Michigan dairies, just 19% were providing access to water in their exit lanes from the parlor.  Access to water in the freestall barn is also critical, with two waterers per pen a minimum so that all cows can readily gain access. The maximum walking distance to those waterers should be 50’, though only about 20% of farms met that standard in the Michigan study.

Water quality can also be an issue. “Based on a large survey of water quality on livestock farms (3,600 samples), 15 to 30% of total samples exceeded the upper threshold concentrations for calcium, sodium and sulfate,” says Beede. “Iron and manganese concentrations exceeded desired thresholds in over 40% of samples.”

The only way to know if your water meets quality standards is with periodic testing. Beede recommends testing water three to four times annually, testing for sulfate, chlorine, iron, manganese and nitrates. Tests cost about $40.

Source – Dairy Herd

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