Water and Energy Feed Beef in Us

July 2015

H2o needs are influenced by environmental temperature, grade of livestock, and weight. Photo courtesy of Troy Walz.

Many times the importance of water to beefiness cattle is overlooked. Diets are counterbalanced for carbohydrate (free energy), protein, vitamins, and minerals so cattle can accomplish a desired level of performance; but cattle also have a requirement for water. Animal performance tin can exist affected by water intake. In fact, of these nutrients, water is most critical.

The minimum requirement of cattle for water reflects the amount needed for body growth and fetal growth or lactation and the amount needed to replace what is lost by excretion in urine, feces, or sweat or lost by evaporation from the lungs or pare. Anything influencing these needs or losses will influence the h2o needs of livestock.

Under conditions of restricted water intake, an animal may concentrate its urine by reabsorbing a greater amount of water than usual. While this chapters for urine concentration is limited, information technology can reduce the h2o requirement. When an animal consumes a nutrition high in poly peptide or salt or a diet containing substances having a diuretic effect, the excretion of urine increases and there is an increased water requirement.

The amount of water lost through evaporation from the pare or lungs is of import and, in some cases, may even exceed what is lost in the urine. If the environmental temperature and/or physical activity increases, water losses through evaporation and sweating increases.

Factors affecting h2o requirements and needs

A number of factors coaction and brand water requirements and needs difficult to assess. Because feeds themselves contain some h2o and the oxidation of certain nutrients in feeds produces h2o, not all the h2o needs must be provided as drinking h2o. Feeds such equally silages, green chop, or pasture are usually high in moisture, while grains and hays are low. When cattle swallow feeds high in water content, water intake is reduced. High-energy feeds produce more metabolic water compared to low-energy feeds. Fasting animals or those on a low-protein nutrition may generate h2o from the destruction of body protein or fat, just this is of minor significance.

Water needs are influenced by ecology temperature, class of livestock, and weight. Water needs increase as temperature increases. Lactating cows have greater needs than nonlactating cows. Bulls have a greater daily water requirement than nonlactating cows. This is a function of weight. As cattle get heavier, daily water intake increases.

A University of Georgia publication lists the estimated h2o requirements for cattle in unlike production stages when the daily high temperature is 90 degrees F. The data suggest for cattle in this ecology condition, a growing animal or a lactating cow needs 2 gallons of water per 100 pounds of body weight. A nonlactating cow or bull needs ane gallon of water per 100 pounds of body weight. As an case, leap-calving cows will need close to xx to 24 gallons of water per twenty-four hours for themselves and some other five to 10 gallons for their calf in these high temperature environmental conditions. Think, some of the water will come from the feed they consume and/or vegetative grass which is high in h2o content. Too, for the nursing calf, a portion of the daily h2o needs will come up from the dam's milk.

Factors affecting h2o quality

Nitrates, sulfates, and blue-dark-green algae can affect water quality. A safe level of nitrate nitrogen (NO3N) in the water for cattle is less than 100 ppm. The sulfate upper limit for calves is less than 500 ppm (167 ppm sulfur as sulfate). For adult cattle, the upper limit is less than ane,000 ppm (333 ppm sulfur as sulfate).

Stagnant water, lakes, and ponds are ideal environments for the growth of blue-greenish algae, which can be toxic to cattle. When in abundance, blue-green algae gives the water the appearance that someone has dumped a bucket of light green or turquoise paint in the water. Signs of blue-light-green algae poisoning are diarrhea, vomiting, lack of coordination, labored breathing, seizures, convulsions, and possibly decease.

Other problems that nosotros may find with water are high or low pH, or excessive levels of sulfates, hydrogen sulfide, iron, and magnesium. Many times these substances in water cause an "off season" and impact water intake.

Conclusion

Providing make clean, fresh h2o is ever a goal for the livestock producer. There are a number of items that affect water quality. Producers demand to adopt management practices that practise not negatively touch on water quality. For more than information, please run across the Nebguide "H2o Requirements for Beef Cattle" (PDF version, 628KB).

Troy Walz
Nebraska Extension Educator

feuersteinthemarly.blogspot.com

Source: https://beef.unl.edu/water-requirements-for-beef-cattle

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