Water intake of grazing Angora wether goats and Merino wether sheep

Abstract

Water intakes of Angora wether goats and Merino wether sheep grazing annual pastures were measured in summer on dry pasture and in winter on green pasture. Animals were grazed at 7.5 and 12.5 animals ha-1 in 1984 and 7.5 and 10 animals ha-1 in 1985 on unshaded paddocks. Mean maximum temperatures were 25¦ in summer and 13¦C in winter. In summer, animals at the lower stocking rates were heavier (sheep 40.8 kg fleece free liveweight (FFLW), goats 37.3 kg FFLW) and consumed more water than animals at the higher stocking rate (sheep 33.7 kg FFLW, goats 30.2 kg FFLW). Angora goats consumed significantly more water than Merino sheep, 1.87 v. 1.37 litre day-1. Daily water intake of Angora goats was 55.6 ml (kg FFLW)-1, 50% more than Merino sheep (P<0.005). Maximum water intakes on the hottest day (35¦C, maximum) were twice the average recorded intake in both species. As a result of frequent drinking, goats formed tracks which radiated from the water trough. Daily water intake in winter was 0.1 litre or 2.5 ml (kg FFLW)-1 for goats and sheep. Water in oblong metal water troughs had higher temperatures but lower evaporative losses than water in larger circular concrete water troughs. It is concluded that Angora goats grazing dry pasture in summer require water supplies and their water consumption is greater than that of similar-sized sheep.