ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE, Alta. Ð Cattle producers shouldn’t underestimate the importance of clean water to their animals, a Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration official said recently at a meeting in west-central Alberta.
“A cow can lose half its fat but if it loses 10 percent of its water content, it can be fatal,” Mark MacGregor told the Rocky Riparian Group in Rocky Mountain House.
As well, he said researchers have learned that steers gain about an extra third of a pound per day when offered good quality, clean water.
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A number of factors can affect water quality.
Nitrate poisoning
Nitrate poisoning from water is rare, and is more likely when water is consumed with forages that contain high nitrate levels. Bacteria in the rumen convert nitrates to nitrite and reduce the blood’s ability to metabolize oxygen. This causes shortness of breath and eventual suffocation.
Sulfates
Elevated sulfates may cause scours in calves. Calf performance may be affected if sulfate levels are more than 500 parts per million. If levels are higher than 2,500 ppm, copper, magnesium and zinc intake may be affected and animals may need mineral supplements. More than 7,000 ppm million could be fatal.
Salinity
Salinity reduces performance if levels are between 3,000 and 7,000 ppm. Dissolved salts consist of any combination of calcium, magnesium, and sodium chlorides, sulfates and bicarbonates. Cattle can adapt to saline water to some degree, but abrupt changes may cause harm. They may avoid drinking salty water for a number of days, followed by a period of high consumption that causes illness or even death.
Bacteria and parasites
Most water contains some bacterial contamination and parasites. Calves tend to suffer more than mature cows from complications caused by bacteria such as coccidiosis. Symptoms include bloody diarrhea, dehydration, weight loss, depression and sometimes death.
Blue green algae
Blue green algae in standing water can be toxic. Cattle may also refuse to drink it because of a bad taste and odour. Algae can be treated with copper sulfate. However, an alternative water supply is needed during treatment because a deadly toxin is released when the copper sulfate kills the algae. Blue green algae is a blue, green or brown slime that cannot be picked up by hand.
“If algae slips through your fingers and doesn’t stick to your hand, it is probably blue green algae,” MacGregor said.
PFRA recommends 110 grams of copper sulfate per 454,000 litres of water. A full dugout that is 54 metres long by 18 m wide and 42 m deep requires 900 g of copper sulfate.
Algae blooms can be prevented by keeping excess nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen out of the water. Manure and organic matter such as grass, hay, leaves and topsoil are the primary sources of nutrients that contribute to aquatic plant growth.
Water temperature
Elevated water temperature affects consumption. Cattle drink less if water is 25 C or higher. If it reaches 30 C or more, a significant decline in consumption is noted. Studies have shown cattle will drink early in the morning when water is cooler.
Treatments
Agriculture Canada and the Western Beef Development Centre in Saskatoon have found a variety of water treatments that improve consumption.
Coagulation of the water using alum removes particulate matter, phosphorus and organic matter. It also makes the water appear clear. Coagulation of an unlined dugout can cost up to $3,000 while a lined reservoir could cost $6,000.
Aerated water maintains oxygen and prevents anaerobic decomposition of organic matter responsible for creating sulfur dioxide, which causes a rotten egg smell in the water, making it unpalatable. Aeration costs about $2,000.
Solar panels to power pumps costs about $1,500. The water is cleaner and fresher when delivered to the animals. While these costs may seem steep, MacGregor said the added weight gain for steers more than covers the expense.
