Having high-quality water is of the utmost importance for lactating cows, and this has been highlighted once again during the recent warm weather.
A large number of Irish farms use wells for their water – which has a great advantage of being free.
Wells should be tested at least yearly to ensure the water is of high enough quality for lactating cows or even a household.
Dairy farms rely on good water quality and palatability to help maintain intakes at grass and reduce the risk of water-borne mastitis infections such as pseudomonas.
Possible sources of contamination:
- Farm animals/wild animals having unrestricted access to the source of the well;
- Inadequate protection from contamination from surface runoff;
- Slurry/sewage spreading;
- Proximity to a faulty sewage system;
- Inadequately maintained wellhead and/or surrounding area.
Water is essential on every dairy farm, not only for cows to drink from but also for washing.
Cows need water to regulate body temperature; rumen fermentation; flow of feed through the digestive tract; nutrient absorption; metabolism; and waste removal.
They usually consume between 60-80L/day, but during warm weather this intake can increase by 30-50%.
Water is also essential on dairy farms for washing parlours and an array of other jobs.
Water quality
Taking a sample once a year should be good enough. If you have had an issue with contaminated water supply it is important that you continue to monitor and control the situation.
The bacteria that should be tested for are Coliform, E.coli and Enterococci.
Microbiologically contaminated water can:
- Cause elevated total bacteria counts (TBCs) and thermodurics in milk;
- Contaminate the household supply and may cause human health problems.
The ideal place to sample well water is at the point of use. This usually means taking a sample from a tap.
The tap should be disinfected and the sample taken in a sterile bottle. If possible, you should take a few samples from different places.
Intakes
Cows will often not drink poor-quality water, so it can often be the first indication that something is wrong.
However, there could be a number of other reasons why cows are not drinking from troughs such as stray electrical voltage.
In this situation, cows are often afraid to drink from the trough. This could be missed in a grazing herd where cows might only be seen when herding the cows.
A quick check of the trough before cows enter and after cows leave a paddock can easily detect tray voltage.