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Differential effects of sodium and magnesium sulfate on water consumption by beef cattle^1,2

A. S. Grout^*,3, D. M. Veira^,4, D. M. Weary^*, M. A. G. von Keyserlingk^* and D. Fraser^*

^* Animal Welfare Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4; and and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Kamloops, BC, Canada V2B 8A9

⁴ Corresponding author: veirad{at}agr.gc.ca

The existing guidelines for maximum sulfate (SO₄) in cattle drinking water are based on Na₂SO₄, although many water sources contain greater concentrations of MgSO₄. Two experiments compared the effect of different SO₄ salts on water consumption and fecal DM of cattle. In Exp. 1, 8 yearling heifers (initial BW = 345 ± 8 kg; mean ± SD) were watered twice daily with tapwater or water containing Na₂SO₄ or MgSO₄ at target levels of 1,500, 3,000, or 4,500 mg of SO₄/L for 2-d treatment periods separated by 2 d of access to tapwater. In Exp. 2, 16 yearling cattle (initial BW = 421 ± 24 kg) were watered twice daily with tap-water (16 mg of SO₄/L) or water containing Na₂SO₄ at target levels of 2,000 mg of SO₄/L (low Na₂SO₄), MgSO₄ at 2,000 mg of SO₄/L (low MgSO₄), or MgSO₄ at 4,000 mg of SO₄/L (high MgSO₄) in 21-d treatment periods separated by 7-d periods on tapwater. The first 10 d of each period were allowed for adjustment to the treatment, and the final 11 d was considered the treatment period for analysis purposes. Treatments were applied in an incomplete Latin square, where each animal was exposed to 3 of the 4 treatments. In Exp. 1, the average daily water consumption decreased linearly as the SO₄ concentration increased for MgSO₄ (P = 0.0001) but not for Na₂SO₄ (P = 0.39). In Exp. 2, the average daily water consumption was less for cattle on the high-MgSO₄ treatment than for cattle on the low-MgSO₄ treatment (P = 0.0001), and cattle on the low-MgSO₄ treatment tended (P = 0.09) to drink less than those on the tap-water treatment. Fecal DM was greater for cattle on the high-MgSO₄ treatment than for those on the low-MgSO₄ treatment (P < 0.01). These findings indicate that cattle reduce their consumption of water containing high ( 4,000 mg of SO₄/L) concentrations of MgSO₄, even after a given time to adjust to the treatment; such reductions may be accompanied by an increase in fecal DM.

Key Words: beef cattle • drinking behavior • sulfate • water intake • water quality

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