Water Requirements for Livestock

Transcription

1 Wter Requirements for Livestock Providing enough qulity wter is essentil for good livestock husndry. Wter mkes up 80% of the lood, regultes ody temperture nd is vitl for orgn functions such s digestion, wste removl nd the sorption of nutrients. Understnding dily livestock wtering needs is key when designing livestock wtering system. The dily wter requirement of livestock vries significntly mong niml species. The niml's size nd growth stge will hve strong influence on dily wter intke. Consumption rtes cn e ffected y environmentl nd mngement fctors. Air temperture, reltive humidity nd the level of niml exertion or production level re exmples of these fctors. The qulity of the wter, which includes temperture, slinity nd impurities ffecting tste nd odour, will lso hve n effect. The wter content of the niml's diet will influence its drinking hits. Feed with reltively high moisture content decreses the quntity of drinking wter required. Given tht drinking wter needs re species-, frm- nd mngement-specific, mny producers tody re opting to instll wter-metering equipment to otin ccurte mesurements of wter use. If mediction is ever provided through the livestock's wtering system, the meter cn e used to ensure proper dose rtes. Diry Cttle Milk is composed of nerly 87% wter. An dequte supply of qulity wter for diry cttle is extremely importnt. Frmers typiclly provide cows with free ccess to fresh wter t ll times. The wter requirements of lctting cows re closely relted to milk production, moisture content in the feed nd environmentl fctors such s ir temperture nd humidity. The cow's pek wter intke generlly occurs during the hours of gretest feed intke. Tle 1 identifies wter use y mjor growth stge of diry niml nd reks down the estimted wter consumption of milking cow y its level of milk production. (1), (2) Tle 1. Wter Consumption y Diry Cttle Diry Cttle Type Level of Milk Production (kg milk/dy) Wter Requirement Rnge Averge Typicl Wter Use Diry clves (1-4 months) Diry heifers (5-24 months) Milking cows c Dry cows d A result of the nimls' environment nd mngement. Typicl consumption over yer on dily sis under verge griculturl conditions in Ontrio. c The verge milk production in 2006 for Holstein diry cow in Ontrio ws 33 kg/dy. d Approximtely 15% of the milking-ge cows present on diry frm could e considered "dry."

2 Beef Cttle Few studies hve een undertken to fully document wter use y eef nimls. Those tht hve een completed suggest tht the wter requirement of eef cttle is closely tied to whether the nimls re lctting, the moisture content of their feed rtion nd environmentl fctors such s ir temperture nd reltive humidity. Grzing trils hve demonstrted tht weight gins of pstured eef nimls re higher if wter supply is provided for the cttle in the grzing re, even though the nimls re receiving lot of wter from their diet. Tle 2 provides verge dily wter requirements of eef cttle. Tle 2. Wter Consumption y Beef Cttle (3) Beef Cttle Type Weight Rnge Wter Requirement Rnge Averge Typicl Wter Use Feedlot cttle: Bckgrounder Feedlot cttle: Short keep ( l) (800-1,400 l) Lctting cows with clves Dry cows, red heifers & ulls A result of the nimls' environment nd mngement. Typicl consumption over yer on dily sis under verge griculturl conditions in Ontrio. Swine The housing method, growth stge nd feeding method used ffect the drinking wter requirements of pigs. Tle 3 gives rekdown of drinking wter consumption y weight rnge or level of mturity. Tle 3. Wter Consumption y Swine (4) Swine Type Weight Rnge Wter Requirement Rnge Averge Typicl Wter Use Wener Feeder pig Gestting sow/or Lctting sow c A result of the nimls' environment nd mngement. Typicl consumption over yer on dily sis under verge griculturl conditions in Ontrio. c Includes unwened piglets. The introduction of three-site production nd ll-in/ll-out fcilities hs ltered the wter usge ptterns nd pek usge requirements of swine growout fcilities. Pigs in the growing phse re often grouped in segregted rooms or entire

3 rns y ge. They re kept in this fcility until the trget weight is reched y the mjority of nimls, when the room or rn is emptied nd then restocked. Consider, for exmple, tht five hundred 23-kg (50-l) pigs t the strt of growout cycle will ech consume 4.5 L/dy. By the end of the growout cycle, the wter requirements of these sme 500 pigs, now weighing 100 kg (220 l), will hve douled to 9 L/dy ech. The wter system for these pigs must e designed for the higher vlue. The use of wet/dry feeders nd liquid feeding systems hs reduced the volume of drinking wter required ecuse of the higher moisture content of the feed rtion nd the reduction in spillge of wter from these systems. Swine system specilists hve estimted tht, prior to 1990, pproximtely 50% of the wter supplied to hog pen in dy ws lost s spillge. Tody, more efficient feeding systems hve cut these losses significntly. Producers hve lso opted to replce the nipple drinkers commonly used s wter source in the pen with wter owl-type drinkers. Horses Horses typiclly consume 2-3 kg of wter per kilogrm of dry feed. They drink more in hot wether nd while doing hevy work. See Tle 4. Tle 4. Wter Consumption y Horses (5), (6) Frme size (weight) Wter Requirement Rnge Averge Wter Use Smll (500 l) Medium (1,000 l) Lrge (1,500 l) A result of the nimls' environment nd mngement. Typicl consumption over yer on dily sis under verge griculturl conditions in Ontrio. Sheep Grzing sheep, prticulrly in the cooler sesons of the yer, cn require reltively little dditionl wter eyond wht they receive through forge. Hot, drier wether, however, will result in incresed wter intke. Tle 5 provides n estimte of wter consumed dily y different ctegories of sheep. Tle 5. Wter Consumption y Sheep (7) Animl Type Weight Rnge Wter Requirement Rnge Averge Typicl Wter Use Feeder lm Gestting met ewe/rm Lctting met ewe plus unwened offspring Gestting diry ewe/rm Lctting diry ewe A result of the nimls' environment nd mngement. Typicl consumption over yer on dily sis under verge griculturl conditions in Ontrio.

4 Chickens The feed requirements of growing poultry re directly relted to ird weight. Wter requirements re relted to feed consumption nd to the ir temperture. Over hlf of the wter intke of poultry is otined from the feed. Automtic wtering equipment ensures poultry hve free ccess to wter t ll times. Once ir tempertures exceed 30 C or (87 F), the expected wter consumption cn increse y 50% ove norml consumption rtes. Poultry re unle to swet s mens of regulting ody temperture. Their method of het control involves incresing the respirtory rte (pnting) to expel surplus het, which results in the relese of lrge mounts of moisture from the ird tht must e replced or the ird will ecome dehydrted. Tle 6 shows n estimte of the dily wter consumption of 1,000 roiler chickens t different stges of growth. It lso illustrtes the effect ir temperture cn hve on their wter consumption rtes. Use Tle 6 to design wter systems for roilers. Tle 7 shows wter consumption y seson nd cn e used for estimting verge totl nnul wter requirement for roilers. Tle 6. Wter Consumption of Broiler Chickens y Age (8) Chicken Broiler Age (weeks) Wter Requirement (L/1,000 irds/dy) 21 C 32 C Tle 7. Wter Consumption of Broiler Chickens y Seson (8) Seson Averge Typicl Wter Use (L/1,000 irds/dy) Winter, fll, spring 280 Summer 450 Typicl consumption over yer on dily sis under verge griculturl conditions in Ontrio. Tle 8 presents n estimte of dily wter consumption y other common clsses of chickens. Agin, tempertures hve mjor influence on the wter consumption rte expected from these other poultry clsses. Egg production level will lso ffect the wter consumption of lying hens. It hs een estimted tht lying hens will drink out 4 kg of wter per dozen eggs produced. Tle 8. Wter Consumption y Chicken Clsses Other Thn Broilers (9) Chicken Type Weight Rnge Wter Requirement Rnge (L/1,000 irds/dy) Averge Typicl Wter Use (L/1,000 irds/dy) Lying hens Pullets Broiler reeders A result of the nimls' environment nd mngement. Typicl consumption over yer on dily sis under verge griculturl conditions in Ontrio.

5 Historiclly, most producers used the ell-style wtering system - circulr trough with grvity-fed reservoir tht my e connected to wter line - to provide wter to growing irds. Advnces in poultry wtering equipment in recent yers hve introduced nipple-style wtering device tht contriutes to drinker hygiene nd reduces wter spillge if properly mnged. For cge-rered poultry, such s lying hens, there hve een recent dvncements to reduce wter wstge through the use of cup wter device or y instlling trough under the wter nipples. Turkeys Drinking wter requirements of turkeys re shown in Tle 9 nd Tle 10. Use Tle 9 for designing wter system cpcity nd Tle 10 for estimting verge totl nnul consumption. Agin, wter consumption is significntly influenced y the ird's size nd the ir temperture it is exposed to. The ge of turkeys on frm will depend hevily on mrket fctors. Typiclly, however, met turkeys cn e clssified s follows: roiler turkeys (hens) - up to 11 weeks of ge hevy hens - up to 16 weeks of ge turkey toms - up to 20 weeks of ge Wter consumption of reeding hens kept for egg production is similr to tht of hevy hens t 16 weeks. Tle 9. Wter Consumption of Turkey y Age (10) Turkey Age (weeks) Wter Requirement (L/1,000 irds/dy) 10 C-21 C 27 C-35 C , ,077-1,139 Includes spillge losses (typiclly 2% or less of totl consumption). Tle 10. Wter Consumption of Turkey y Type Turkey type Averge Typicl Wter Use (L/1,000 irds/dy) Fll/Winter/Spring Summer Broiler turkey Hevy hens Turkey toms Typicl consumption over yer on dily sis under verge griculturl conditions in Ontrio. Rits, Mink nd Alternte Livestock Limited oserved nd pulished dt re ville for less common livestock. The numers presented in Tle 11 re generl numers sed on estimtes provided y producers nd extension specilists who work with these lternte livestock. As with other nimls, the key fctors ffecting wter intke re likely to e feed intke, feed composition, environmentl temperture, niml size nd ctivity.

6 The most importnt fctor ffecting rits' wter intke is environmentl temperture. They will drink twice s much wter during hot summer wether (30 C) s they will during more temperte sesons (10 C). Rits on high-fire or high-protein diets will tend to drink more wter thn rits on low-fire or low-protein rtions. The high-fire diets require extr wter to moisten the feed nd to mintin dequte fluid level in the digestive trct. High-protein rtions increse the wter requirement, ecuse nitrogen from the excess protein is excreted in the urine s ure. The kidney hs limited cpcity to concentrte excretory yproducts in the urine, so the more ure excreted y the niml, the more wter there is in the urine. Similr vriles ffect mink's wter requirements. Mink re trditionlly fed wet diet (65%-75% wter), which will provide 80%-85% of the mink's dily wter requirements. The remining wter needs must e met y drinking wter. (11), (12) Tle 11. Wter Consumption - Other Livestock Animl Type Weight Rnge Estimted Typicl Wter Use Rit - gestting doe 4.5 kg 0.35 Rit - doe (with litter), prior to wening 8.5 kg 1.02 Rit - 6-wk fryers 1.0 kg 0.30 Rit 12-wk fryers 2.3 kg 0.64 Mink reeders - mles 3.0 kg 0.39 Mink reeders - femles 1.5 kg 0.29 Growing mink - mles 2.0 kg 0.26 Growing mink - femles 1.0 kg 0.19 Typicl consumption over yer on dily sis under verge griculturl conditions in Ontrio. Totl weight: 4.5 kg for doe plus kg Wter Qulity While the focus of this Fctsheet is on the quntity of wter consumed y livestock, wter qulity is lso importnt to consider s it cn hve n impct on the volume of wter consumed. Foul odours or tstes, for exmple, my discourge nimls from drinking. Depending on the cuse, poor wter qulity cn ffect herd helth, possily leding to niml deth nd economic loss to the producer. Assess wter qulity t oth the point of use nd the source. The contmintion of wtering devices y dust, spilled feed nd fecl mtter cn led to the growth of slime. Eventully slime orgnisms die nd decy, creting foul odour nd/or tstes. Typiclly, poultry is more sensitive to the tste nd minerl content of the wter thn other livestock types. Wter tretment systems re incresingly eing used in poultry rns. The tretments normlly focus on overcoming mny prolems with iron or minerls in the source wter, killing cteri nd eliminting slime/scle from forming in the wter lines nd on the wterer. If chlorine is dded during tretment, the trget residul chlorine level in the delivery system is etween 3-5 prts per million. The tolernce to minerls (totl slts) in wter supplies vries y niml species, with poultry eing most sensitive, hogs modertely sensitive nd ruminnt nimls lest sensitive. In generl, totl solule slt content of less thn 1,000 mg/l is considered low level of slinity suitle for ll types of livestock. (13) Slt contents etween 1,000 mg/l nd 3,000 mg/l re stisfctory for ll types of livestock ut my cuse wtery droppings in poultry or dirrhe in livestock not

7 ccustomed to this slt level. Slt levels ove 3,000 mg/l re not recommended for poultry nd re more likely to result in cses of livestock refusl. (13) Slt levels ove 5,000 mg/l re not recommended for lctting nimls. Avoid levels ove 7,000 mg/l for ll livestock. References 1. Adms, R.S., et l. "Clculting drinking wter intke for lctting cows." Diry reference mnul (NRAES-63). Ithc, NY: Northest Regionl Agriculturl Engineering Service, McFrlnd, D.F. "Wtering diry cttle." Diry feeding systems mngement, components nd nutrients (NRAES- 116). Ithc, NY: Nturl Resources, Agriculture nd Engineering Services, Adpted from The nutritionl requirements of eef cttle. 7 th revised edition. Wshington, D.C.: Ntionl Reserch Council, updte Froese, C., nd Smll, D. "Wter consumption nd wste production during different production stges in hog opertions." St. Andrews, Mnito: Mnito Livestock Mnure Mngement Inititive Adpted from Nutrient requirements of horses. 5 th edition. Wshington, D.C.: Ntionl Reserch Council, Groenendyk, S., et l. Externl lnce of wter nd electrolytes in the horse. Equine Vet 1988; J.20: Adpted from Nutrient requirements of sheep. 6 th edition. Wshington, D.C.: Ntionl Reserch Council, North, Mck O., Bell, Donld D. Commercil chicken production mnul, 4th edition. New York, NY: Vn Nostrnd Reinhold Adpted from Nutrient requirements of poultry. 9 th edition. Wshington, D.C.: Ntionl Reserch Council, Adpted from Hyrid turkeys: producer guide. Kitchener, ON: Hyrid Turkeys, Adpted from Guide lpin. Queec City, QC: Conseil des productions nimles du Queec Inc., Joergensen, G. Mink production.hilleroed, Denmrk: Scientur, Ntionl Acdemy of Sciences/Ntionl Acdemy of Engineering. Wter qulity criteri. Wshington, D.C., For more informtion: Toll Free: E-mil: g.info.omfr@ontrio.c Courtesy of PUROXI PURE WATER GLOBAL INC.