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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 56(1)

The effect of water quality on cattle performance on pasture

H. A. Lardner A D , B. D. Kirychuk B , L. Braul B , W. D. Willms C and J. Yarotski B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Western Beef Development Centre, PO Box 1150, Humboldt, Saskatchewan, S0K 2A0, Canada.

B Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration, 1800 Hamilton Street, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4P 4L2, Canada.

C Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, PO Box 3000, Lethbridge, Alberta, T1J 4B1, Canada.

D Corresponding author. Email: blardner@agr.gov.sk.ca

Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 56(1) 97-104 https://doi.org/10.1071/AR04086
Submitted: 13 April 2004  Accepted: 13 December 2004   Published: 31 January 2005

Abstract

In western Canada, dugouts are the primary source of water for beef cattle during the summer months. Over time, drought conditions and/or direct access by grazing animals have a negative effect on water constituents and overall water quality. A study was conducted to determine the effects of improvements in water quality on cattle performance. The effect of pasture water quality on weight gain of beef cattle was assessed with 44 Hereford yearling steers over 5 years and 40 Angus cow–calf pairs over 3 years. From 1999 to 2003, cattle were allocated to 1 of 4 treatments, which comprised untreated dugout water pumped to a trough, aerated water pumped to a trough, and coagulated and chlorinated water pumped to a trough, all compared with direct access by livestock to the water source. Data were collected on livestock weight gains, water consumption, fecal parasites, environmental conditions, water chemistry, biological constituents, and forage production and quality. Water treatment by aeration or coagulation tended to improve steer weight gains (P < 0.05) over untreated water from a dugout in 3 of 5 years. Daily weight gains tended to be improved slightly by simply pumping water to a trough without treatment. Water aerated and pumped to a trough in early summer tended to produce greater (P < 0.05) weight gains in calves than those drinking directly from the dugout. The effect of treatment on improving cattle weight gains appeared to be related to improved water palatability, which increased water and feed consumption. Water chemistry and biological constituents analysed did not identify significant differences among treatments. These results suggest that improving water quality with aeration and pumping to a trough will improve weight gain 9–10% over a 90-day grazing period in most years.

Additional keywords: weight gain, aeration, coagulation, steer.


Acknowledgments

The authors thank Jonathan Pierce, Cheryl Guenther, Adrienne Worley, and Russel Kirzinger at the Termuende Research Farm, and numerous staff at Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA) office Watrous, SK, for assisting in animal management, data collection, and laboratory analysis. The PFRA Rural Water Development Program, Agri-Food Innovation Fund, Ducks Unlimited Canada, and the Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada Matching Investment Initiative Fund provided funding for this research. Appreciation is expressed to the Saskatchewan Horned Cattle Purchases Fund and Heartland Livestock for supplying the cattle for this study.


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