water too cold for cattle

vanderbadger

anyone else notice their cattle very slow to drink water at the mo, I notice when filling the troughs with hose they are licking the water as it sprays from hose but are very slow to dip their nose in troughs, cows especially have really slowed down eating and im wondering is it because they arent drinking much, anyone else notice this, i have one trough that just keeps freezing over, not much that can be done i guess but just wondered if anyone else noticed it

whelan1

when i go around with water in the morning time , they are slow to drink , but after dinner they go mad for the water , dont know the logic in it at all

bbam

I was filling water last night and the cattle went mad to drink, they've not been left a day without water. We have a shed of small weanlins and they are eating more in this cold snap... They had licked through the ice in the drinker to the water, I was standing there with the fingers falling off me thinking of those here who suggested 3/4 days without water might be acceptable:rolleyes:..

whelan1

bbam wrote: »

I was filling water last night and the cattle went mad to drink, they've not been left a day without water. We have a shed of small weanlins and they are eating more in this cold snap... They had licked through the ice in the drinker to the water, I was standing there with the fingers falling off me thinking of those here who suggested 3/4 days without water might be acceptable:rolleyes:..

i think that every time i am doing the water , maybe i am a fool (don't answer that)

vanderbadger

well my cows used to be like that as well although much less so in the last day or two so not sure whats up, i have one shed where the trough is outside the barrier and fairly exposed and the cattle barely touch it now, i have to leave a spade beside it to keep breaking ice, i never thought rain would be so welcome..

bbam

It was -9 last night and was filling well water into 4 galon buckets (IBC froze in the shed), I swear it looked to be steaming like a cup of tea..

I draw the water off near the well head (within the pumphouse) since its coming from 200ft below it would be at the same temp sumer/winter.. Probably why the cattle love to see it coming and lap it up..

MfMan

vanderbadger wrote: »

anyone else notice their cattle very slow to drink water at the mo, I notice when filling the troughs with hose they are licking the water as it sprays from hose but are very slow to dip their nose in troughs, cows especially have really slowed down eating and im wondering is it because they arent drinking much, anyone else notice this, i have one trough that just keeps freezing over, not much that can be done i guess but just wondered if anyone else noticed it

Ya, noticed that too. May be that the water is very cold for them; also, they seem to be thirstier after (dry) pit silage than round bales. Bloody round bales are a pain to unravel as the netting is stuck with the frost! Hate round bales with a passion!

pakalasa

MfMan wrote: »

.....Bloody round bales are a pain to unravel as the netting is stuck with the frost! Hate round bales with a passion!

I noticed that the net is breaking up when you pull it off, leaving small strands on the bale. Not the kind of thing you want getting into the cattle's gut.

BeeDI

Noticed a cow with a nose bleed today, from both nostrils. Is it the cold I wonder. We had minus 14 last night.:eek:

Dunedin

BeeDI wrote: »

Noticed a cow with a nose bleed today, from both nostrils. Is it the cold I wonder. We had minus 14 last night.:eek:

another farmer told me a story the other day of a farmer that left cattle without water for a few days and when he did eventually give them water, they drank too much of the cold water and it actually killed one of them.

not sure of the truth of this............. anyone ever heard of this?

whelan1

yup:rolleyes: years ago when i was young we had a pen of calves that didnt have water for days - cant remember why , but when they did get water they drank too much and they where all going round like they where drunk ... 1 died .. vet said he had seen it many times before

Mrmoe

Dunedin wrote: »

another farmer told me a story the other day of a farmer that left cattle without water for a few days and when he did eventually give them water, they drank too much of the cold water and it actually killed one of them.

not sure of the truth of this............. anyone ever heard of this?

I would say it is definitely possible for humans anyway but I guess something similar could happen in cattle. Definitely slower eating as well due to low water consumption.

(3) Osmotic cerebral edema

Normally cerebral-spinal fluid (CSF) and extracellular fluid (ECF) osmolality of the brain is slightly lower than that of plasma. When plasma is diluted by excessive water intake (or hyponatremia), syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH), hemodialysis, or rapid reduction of blood glucose in hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state (HHS), formerly hyperosmolar non-ketotic acidosis (HONK), the brain osmolality will then exceed the serum osmolality creating an abnormal pressure gradient down which water will flow into the brain causing edema.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmotic_cerebral_edema#Osmotic_cerebral_edema

Muckit

MfMan wrote: »

Ya, noticed that too. May be that the water is very cold for them; also, they seem to be thirstier after (dry) pit silage than round bales. Bloody round bales are a pain to unravel as the netting is stuck with the frost! Hate round bales with a passion!

It's 6 of one and half a dozen of the other, yes the net on bales is a pain (especially in the frost), but what's the alternative? Getting up on a frozen snowy silage pit to throw back tyres and roll the cover is no joke either!

MfMan

Muckit wrote: »

It's 6 of one and half a dozen of the other, yes the net on bales is a pain (especially in the frost), but what's the alternative? Getting up on a frozen snowy silage pit to throw back tyres and roll the cover is no joke either!

No, especially when there's a layer of snow and ice that hasn't thawed yet caught between the layers of the plastic. Very heavy and cumbersome to roll. Nevertheless, if you expose enough of the pit, it should keep you going for a week or more. Easier to scatter about too when fed.

defadman

well when cattle go without water for a day or two and then drink a lot of water it is not good for their stomach and can cause them to become bloated and therefore will lose their appetite to a certain degree, avoid feeding meal if possible aswell for the present time