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Factors Affecting Water Consumption by Feedlot Cattle^{1, 2,}

Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50010

Abstract

FIVE summer and four winter trials were conducted to study the effects of season, overhead shelter and period within trial upon water consumption by yearling steers fed under Midwestern feedlot conditions. Observations also were made on the effects of conditioned water and time and temperature within day upon daily water consumption.

Yearling feedlot cattle consumed more water in summer than in winter (31.2 vs. 19.0 liters per day; P<.01).

Shelter significantly reduced water consumption in summer (30.1 vs. 32.6 liters per day; P<.01), but had no effect in winter (19.2 vs. 18.7 liters per day). The interaction of shelter with season affecting water consumption was significant (P<.01).

Season and period within trial interacted to affect water intake (P<.01). In four successive 28-day periods within trial water consumption tended to increase in summer and decrease in winter. Shelter and period within trial interacted (P<.05) to affect water consumption in the summer only. Cattle without shelter in summer had a greater increase in water consumption during successive periods than did cattle with shelter.

Temperature and water consumption within day were correlated in both shelter and no shelter groups (r=0.93 and 0.94, respectively; both P<.01) in summer and for cattle with shelter in the winter (r=0.99; P<.01). Observations were not available for cattle without shelter in the winter. The 3-hr. period within day of greatest water consumption was between 12 and 3 pm in the summer and 3 and 6 pm in the winter.

Processing water with 417 ppm hardness through an ion-exchange unit had no significant effect on water consumption or rate of gain.

¹ Journal Paper No. J-7101 of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, Ames, Iowa. Project No. 1801.

² This research was supported in part by a grant-in-aid from the Lindsay Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

³ The authors acknowledge the assistance of G. M. Thomson in the statistical analysis.