Increase water intake for cattle during heat
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LAKE COUNTY — Providing unlimited access to clean, fresh water for cattle becomes even more critical with increasing temperatures. Water requirements for cattle double between 50 degrees and 94 degrees, according to the Montana Stockgrowers Association website.
They recommend a gallon of water per 100 pound body weight daily for bulls and dry cows; and two gallons of water per body weight for cow-calf pairs.
“This implies that a spring calving cow-calf pair would require 28 gallons of water for a 1400-pound cow plus an additional 7-9 gallons for a 350-450 pound calf, (although) some of this increased calf water requirement can be met by milk intake,” said Dr. Rachel Endecott, MSU Extension Beef Cattle Specialist. “Of the six classes of nutrients — carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins, minerals, and water — water is the most often overlooked, yet the most critical.”
