Friday Feature: Water Quality Affects Cattle Performance

This week’s featured video was developed by the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service to explain the benefits of good quality water for livestock.  Alabama Water Resources Extension Specialist, Eve Brantley, discusses the best water practices to use in your cattle operation.

Cattle consume 2 gallons of water per 100 pounds of body weight per day, so on a normal day, a 1200 lb. cow will drink around 24 gallons of water.  Water consumption has a direct correlation to forage and feed consumption.  Anything that reduces water consumption, such as water temperatures over 80°, or raw manure in a loafing pond can reduce an animal’s appetite and actually reduce cattle performance.  Typically producers focus on providing adequate forage or feed for the herd, but good clean water is just as essential.  Use the following publication link for more information on this subject:  Drinking Water for Livestock

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If you enjoyed this video, you might want to check out the featured videos from previous weeks:  Friday Features

If you come across a humorous video or interesting story related to agriculture, please send in a link, so we can share it with our readers. Send video links to:  Doug Mayo