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Providing clean drinking water during the winter housing period is a task that gets overlooked on many farms, yet it has a big bearing on weight gain and milk yield.
Regardless of cattle type, all animals should have access to clean, fresh drinking water at all times when housed.
Water troughs usually get clogged up with silage and other forages. They can also be contaminated with faeces when drinkers are fitted within cattle pens.
Therefore, as part of your daily routine, check drinking troughs for cleanliness and empty out water that has become soiled.
Water
Suckler cows in milk and finishing cattle on high levels of concentrate require anywhere from 40 to 60 litres of water on a daily basis.
Dirty water will limit drinking activity, which has the knock-on effect of reducing dry matter intake. As cattle eat less, milk yield and weight gain are ultimately reduced.
Given the costs incurred with indoor diets, particularly in finishing cattle, neglecting something as small as a dirty drinker can have big consequences.
Refilling
Another check to make is the time it takes for troughs to refill. Again, this can limit water intake if animals cannot satisfy demand.
Smaller troughs with self-filling paddles are fine for individual calving pens. But they are not appropriate in sheds with finishing cattle on high levels of concentrate.
In such scenarios, it is not uncommon to see cattle standing and queuing to drink.
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