Clean drinking water is essential to the wellbeing of livestock. But permitting access to surface sources directly can cause serious environmental and herd health concerns.
Tanks provide drinking water that can help address these concerns, with various shapes and sizes of water tanks readily available on the market.
Consistent Water Supply
Cattle require between 7-30 gallons of water daily depending on their season, forage type and physiological state (growth, pregnancy or lactation). Ensuring consistent access to clean drinking water helps support animal health while increasing weight gain.
Water tanks offer an easy solution for providing livestock with clean drinking water on an ongoing basis. Designed to suit various amounts of livestock and available in multiple shapes and sizes, these tanks make ensuring consistent access to drinking water an easier task.
Protecting water sources from the elements is paramount to providing animals with access to fresh, tasty drinking water. Without proper protection, extreme weather can freeze water sources or cause them to evaporate too rapidly, encouraging bacteria growth that could endanger animal health.
Reduced Water Loss
Water tanks reduce evaporation losses and keep the water cooler, free of algae growth, and less polluted than its surroundings. When cattle graze near an unpolluted water source, their herd performs more optimally and gains weight more rapidly.
Water tanks offer great adaptability, enabling farmers to design a system tailored specifically to the needs of their farm. Their versatility makes them suitable for herds of all sizes as well as farms with varied agricultural resources and terrain.
Water tanks offer farmers another convenient solution for transporting water from natural sources to pastures more quickly and effectively, helping increase yield potential and enhance crop quality.
Reduced Evaporation
Water tanks offer an economical means of providing fresh drinking water to livestock in remote pastures and can serve as backup water systems should natural sources become unavailable or become compromised.
Water tanks’ shape and color can impact how much they lose due to evaporation. Light-colored tanks reflect sunlight and heat while dark-coloured ones absorb it.
Farmers must regularly clean and disinfect their water tanks to ensure high-quality drinking water for livestock, which helps reduce any dirt or debris which could pose health concerns or make drinking it unsuitable. This will also make sure their drinking water tastes fresh and appetizing to drinkers.
Reduced Debris Buildup
Water tanks offer livestock farmers reliable access to clean drinking water during drought conditions and also act as an additional layer of protection from contaminants that might collect in natural water sources like lakes or streams.
To design an effective water system, start by determining herd consumption rates and adding in an emergency margin to account for environmental or system failures. Next, analyze troughs, tanks and natural water sources to make sure they can provide enough drinking water – this is especially important with grazing livestock, who drink more when water sources are close at hand, increasing forage intake and weight gain.
Reduced Algae Growth
Algae growth in water tanks and troughs not only looks unsightly, but is potentially toxic for livestock. Left unchecked, blue-green algae may contaminate drinking supplies resulting in muscle tremors, bloody diarrhea and even liver failure in livestock.
Algal growth can result from sunlight reacting with nutrients in water tanks and troughs, so it’s wise to use a scrub brush regularly during warm weather to eliminate algae growth in water storage containers and troughs. Simply roll up your sleeves and use this method of rapid remediation!
Copper sulfate has long been used as an algae prevention agent and is safe for livestock except sheep (too much copper can be toxic). Barley straw also works to limit algae growth in water tanks by deoxygenating and making the water less appealing to drink.
Increased Dry Matter Intake
Fresh, clean water is of critical importance for animal health and performance. A reliable supply of high-quality water will allow livestock to maintain their dry matter intake (DMI).
Protecting drinking water sources from snow, ice, wind and excessive sunlight is vitally important. Regular inspection and cleaning of tanks for natural or constructed sources should also be carried out to maintain their availability and quality for animals.
Heated troughs can help prevent water from freezing during cold weather, while water tanks with insulation prevent heat loss and keep the temperature of the water cooler on warmer days. Also, keeping tanks out of direct sunlight will help minimise algae growth.
Increased Weight Gain
Water tanks help prevent runoff and soil erosion, an essential function as erosion can wash away valuable topsoil while jeopardizing structural integrity of land. Furthermore, they protect and enhance crop health and productivity by helping reduce runoff from rainstorms.
Cattle’s daily water needs can vary significantly depending on air and water temperatures, forage moisture content, physiological state (pregnancy or lactation), loss through urine/feces output/excretion as well as sweating/evaporation from their lungs and loss through urine and feces disposal/excreta removal/evaporation from lung surfaces.
An effective water tank system should be customized to the herd size, management strategy and site conditions as well as economic considerations. This requires taking into account such things as tank capacity, location and source of power (such as solar or frost-free nose pumps).
Reduced Stress
Water tanks help ease the stress associated with traveling livestock to natural or constructed water sources, making life more convenient for herds on pasture and providing for more accurate tracking of water usage.
Calculating daily water consumption needs requires taking into account water temperatures, forage availability and quality, weather conditions and herd behavior patterns. For instance, cattle may drink less after milking or in environments that are particularly wet or muddy.
Regular cleaning of troughs and tanks can also help minimize algae growth. Blue-green algae in particular can make cows sick by releasing toxins that cause diarrhea and coordination loss, ultimately leading to decreased feed intake and weight gain.