Water a must for beef cattle

Recent snow and ice storms and power outages have dealt a heavy blow to livestock producers, and snow and ice simply cannot replace the water that beef cattle require.

The cold conditions have kept livestock from getting enough drinking water. Beef cattle need eight to 10 gallons per day.

But even when a lot of snow is available as a form of water source, beef cattle still need water, according to North Dakota State University Extension Service veterinarian Charlie Stoltenow.

Cattle mostly do not adapt to eating snow as a water source very quickly, he said. To successfully adapt a cattle herd to consume snow for their water needs requires years, said Stoltenow.

But not all cows can make the transition, and the current icy conditions make getting water out of snow particularly difficult for animals, said Stoltenow.

The veterinarian noted that the snow is in wind-packed drifts and/or has been rained on or melted and now is refrozen, and cattle will not consume this kind of snow as it is too hard on their mouths.

Cattle producers will need to be resourceful to figure out how to get water to their cattle herds. If cattle stop drinking or have severely reduced levels of water consumption, they also will reduce their feed intake, which will lead to a disaster, he said. Stoltenow added that cattle need to keep eating to produce enough energy and heat to prevent frostbite and hypothermia.

A generator is one option for restoring power to pumps and heated livestock watering systems. Another option for getting water to cattle is to melt snow in a metal water tank.