Water Quality Key For Livestock

Jun 04, 2020

With livestock back out on pasture and the temperature starting to warm up, producers are being encouraged to keep a close eye on their water supply.

Dry conditions over the past few years can result in mineral imbalances that can result in toxic levels of sulphates and/or nitrates.

Catherine Lang is a Livestock and Feed Extension Specialist with Saskatchewan's Ministry of Agriculture.

She recommends producers have their water tested.

"All of our regional offices with the Ministry have a conductivity meter and you can bring water intended for livestock use into the regional offices. We can probe it right there and help you gauge whether your water is good or unusable and send it off to the lab to get a chemical breakdown of what's actually in there and advise you from there."

She notes it's important that animals have access to a good, clean water source.

"One of the things that directly impacts is feed intake. So if they're not drinking enough water, they're not going to be eating enough. So then they're not going to be gaining the weight that they could be. If they're not drinking enough water when it comes to calving time, they're not going to make the amount of milk that they should be because they're a little dehydrated."

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