Which land mammal do you think has the highest water intake requirement in relation to its size? When you consider that milk is 88% water, it’s not surprising that it’s a lactating dairy cow. Research has established a positive relationship between drinking water quality and overall health and production.
Because water is so vital for cows, it seems obvious that producers should closely monitor drinking water quality. Yet the mineral, bacterial, and other contents of the water cows drink often times is overlooked; a recent study indicated that excess minerals in water may be interfering with DM or NDF digestion in dairy cows.
Drinking water quality is easily overlooked and can have serious impacts on cow health and production. Obviously water should be as clean as possible, but less obvious dangers like excess mineral concentrations of iron or magnesium can cause decreased performance and other health problems.
Water palatability is also a concern, as cows will reduce water intake if water is unpalatable. Sulfur and total dissolved solids are common culprits for palatability issues. Dry matter intake decreases as water intake decreases, so water intake must be uninhibited.
Previous drinking water quality research on water safety and palatability has raised awareness of the importance of good quality water for cows. However, research is lacking on how water quality may affect ruminal digestion. The concern is a possible “gray area” between what’s accepted as safe for cows, and what’s actually optimal.
For example, the recommended maximum concentration of a compound in water may be 600 mg/L, but concentrations of 400 mg/L or greater may be impacting digestion. But because the 400 mg/L concentration level doesn’t cause toxicities or decrease water palatability it’s regarded as safe and any impacts on digestion may be overlooked. It’s unknown if this gray area exists, but the answer to that question may change the way we think about water quality.
A recent study found that the rate of ruminal NDF or DM digestion was 7% per hour faster when cows drank distilled water vs. poor quality water. A 7% difference in rate of digestion can have significant implications for milk production.
Just a 2% unit drop in digestibility can decrease dry matter intake by 0.74 lb. per day, and milk output by 1.02 lb. per day. If you have a 1,000-cow dairy and your cows are drinking poor quality water you’re losing 1000 lbs of milk per day.
A study at Miner Institute funded by the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program hopes to answer the questions surrounding water quality and ruminal digestion. The study will examine the effects of water quality from local farms on NDF digestion, using water sampled from farms in all six counties of Northern NY.
The research aims to aid local producers in optimizing milk production by increasing awareness of the effects of poor drinking water quality on fi ber digestion, and developing strategies to treat or prevent these effects.
Source: Miner Institute
