TITLE:
The distribution of drinking water-to-cattle ratios in the summer across four feedlots in the Texas High Plains
AUTHORS:
Raju Gautam, Pablo J. Pinedo, Sangshin Park, Renata Ivanek
KEYWORDS:
Water-Trough; Feedlot; Water-to-Cattle Ratio
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.4 No.6,
June
27,
2013
ABSTRACT:
In this short
communication, we report the findings of a cross-sectional pilot study of the
amount of water available per head of cattle (water-to-cattle ratio) and the
associated feedlot and environmental factors across 26 pens in four Texas
feedlots. The water-to-cattle ratio varied greatly among pens within and
between feedlots. Mixed-effect linear regression modeling with feedlot as a
random effect indicated that water in troughs with a higher water-to-cattle
ratio was generally warmer when compared with water in troughs with a lower
water-to-cattle ratio. This may have implications in the transmission and
persistence of pathogens in feedlot cattle,
such as Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli and Salmonella, because warmer water has
been reported to favor the growth of these pathogens. Therefore, future field
studies in feedlot cattle are warranted to assess whether the water-to-cattle
ratio affects the prevalence of these pathogens in the water itself or in feces
shed by the animals.