Water content and water turnover in beef cattle

Abstract

Twenty-four steers, comprising British (Hereford and Hereford x Shorthorn), Zebu (Africander), and Zebu cross (British x Brahman or Africander) breeds, were either maintained on pasture, or yarded and fed on diets of a low and a high nutritional value. Tritiated water was injected into the animals on five occasions at intervals of 3 months. The body water content and the water turnover rate were calculated, and some of the sources of variation defined.

Observed differences in the water content are attributable to nutritional factors rather than to breed differences.

The mean body water content ranged from 615 to 809 ml/kg fasting body weight, where the higher values were associated with a poor diet. The mean half-life of tritiated water was lower in summer (as low as 58 hr) than in winter (up to 128 hr) in grazing and well-fed yarded steers. On a poor diet, however, the half-life in yarded cattle remained high and almost constant throughout the year, dropping to below 100 hr on only a single occasion. Occasionally the half-life was breed dependent, but generally no significant differences between breeds could be found. While mean turnover rates of up to 7.1 ml kg^-1 hr^-1 were found in better-fed cattle in summer, the value in poorly fed animals was almost constant throughout the year at about 3.3 ml kg^-1 hr^-1. There was, however, a winter minimum in the well-fed yarded and grazing groups. The turnover rate was also influenced by breed only to a limited extent.

The results are interpreted in the light of their possible significance in the adaptation to a tropical environment, and in relation to their value in predicting the body composition.