How to Maintain High-Quality Water for Your Livestock: Top Tips

The health of your livestock is directly linked to the quality of the water they consume. When cattle have access to clean water, they drink more and consume more feed, increasing weight gain. On the other hand, low quality can lead to a loss of appetite, increased open rates, growth and reproductive issues, and death of your livestock. There are strategies you can use to prevent water quality from declining. Keep reading to discover how each strategy can help maintain water quality and stop contamination.

Keep Livestock Out Of Water Sources

Water quality can rapidly decline when you allow livestock to enter their water source. The main problems with giving livestock access to their water sources include:

• Contamination
  • Cattle will defecate in and around the water source when they are done drinking. The manure then contaminates the water source as it carries bacteria and parasites that can cause illness and disease in your livestock.
• Damage
  • Livestock tend to overgraze around water sources. This will cause erosion and damage to the bank of dugouts and will result in a decrease in capacity over time.

The best way to keep your livestock out of water sources such as dugouts, rivers, and creeks is to fence off the source and pump water into a trough. There are plenty of options for remote watering systems, make sure you research which watering system is best for your herd.

Here are two tips to ensure your livestock always has access to water while using remote watering systems:

1. Keep the fence around your water source loose
   • Keeping the fence around the water source loose will allow your livestock to access water if your water system fails to deliver water to the trough.
2. Monitor your remote watering systems with a HerdHand.
   • With the HerdHand you can:
     • Monitor water levels, pressure, and temperature from anywhere.
     • Receive text message alerts if your livestock runs out of water.

Aerating Dugouts

Aeration is the process of adding oxygen to water by keeping it moving. In the summer, aeration stops water sources from becoming stagnant, warm, and overloaded with nutrients. Aeration prevents:

• Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
  • Blue-green algae blooms typically develop during the summer in shallow, undisturbed dugouts. It contains toxins that have deadly effects on livestock when consumed. Aeration slows the development of algae blooms by adding oxygen to the water, keeping the water cool, and preventing minerals from being released from the soil and plant residue.
• Foul Taste and Odours
  • If the oxygen levels in your livestock’s water become low, the water will develop a foul smell and taste. Cattle and other livestock can become sensitive to the odour and may limit the amount of water they consume from this source or refuse to drink from it entirely. Aeration ensures that the oxygen levels stay high and prevent odours from developing.

Managing Runoff

If you rely on spring run-off to fill your dugouts, you should be cautious of where the water comes from. Water that flows through pasture and cropland can carry nutrients and bacteria to your dugouts.

If runoff flows through cropland:

• Monitor the level of nitrates, sulphates, and total dissolved solids (TDS) in the water. Nutrients and minerals from fertilizers can flow from the field to your livestock’s water source. When livestock consumes water with high levels of these minerals it can affect growth rates, decrease total water and feed consumption, and cause illness to your livestock.

If runoff flows through pasture land:

• Ensure the water isn’t flowing through areas that contain manure. Bacteria and parasites found in manure can contaminate your water sources and introduce illnesses into your herd.

Regular Water Testing

Testing water sources ensures your livestock is consuming high-quality water year-round. Regularly testing the quality of your livestock’s water allows you to:

• Establish baselines of the mineral levels in the water
• Recognize when water quality begins to decline
• Ensure your cattle and livestock are drinking clean, high-quality water.
• Be aware of different water quality problems so each water source
• Utilize every water source on your farm effectively

Conclusion

Maintaining the quality of your livestock’s water is vital for their health. Water quality can decline at any time, but there are strategies to prevent it. Fencing off the water supply, aerating water sources, knowing where your runoff is coming from, and testing the water quality are common methods producers use to maintain the quality of their livestock supply. Implementing one or more of these methods will keep your livestock healthy and potentially increase gains during their grazing period.