Water Treatment Often Improves Milk Production - Hydrogen Peroxide Water Treatment PDF Print E-mail


A large percentage of the total components in milk is made up by water. So, cows must consume a lot of water in order to keep their systems functioning properly to produce milk at high levels.

Realizing this fact of high consumption underscores why water then must be of high quality since it makes up so much of a cow's total ration. When you think about the fact that the cow's digestive system contains four stomachs, giving her 30 to 50 gallons of poor-quality water per day can cause her a bellyache times and she may not perform well.

What can be wrong...

Potentially, there can be many deficiencies in water. And some times, there can be many extras in water. Deficiencies can be mineral shortages and imbalances. Extras include excessive amounts of certain minerals and the presence of excessive levels of bacteria. In this article, we will discuss the bacteria/pathogen problem and how to control levels so cows' digestive tracts are not disrupted.

Bacteria are pathogenic or non-pathogenic. Pathogens are the cause of infectious diseases. Both types grow particularly well in ponds and cattle drinking troughs. Because of potential problems, water offered to cattle from any source probably should be treated to reduce bacterial levels.

In our experience, treating pond water supplies almost always im proves milk production by 4 to 6 pounds per cow per day. Drinking troughs filled with water from wells can, to a great degree, be controlled from a bacterial growth standpoint by cleaning and sanitizing of the tubs on a regular basis. I hasten to point out that, even if water is treated, it still is advisable to keep cattle waterers clean.

Three main treatments

We have seen success with various types of water treatments. They include chlorination, ultravi olet light, and hydrogen peroxide.

Chlorination involves using a positive pump chlorinator with liq uid chlorine or chlorine tablets dis pensed via a Land-O-Matic unit. Water treated with chlorine must have a retention time of at least 20 minutes to give the chlorine time to kill the bacteria. Therefore, you must install a retention tank of proper size, depending on the amount of water used.

The owners of one 300-cow dairy have a 2,500-gallon tank buried below the pond dike. Pond water is collected in the tank via an auto matic float valve. The tank has two manholes in the top, one at each end.

There is a Land-O-Matic dispenser in the manhole located nearest the pond. In the manhole at the opposite end, there is a submersible pump which pumps the now chlorinated water to the barn for the cattle.

Another chlorination system also utilizes the Land-O-Matic chlorine tablet dispenser. In this instance, the dispenser unit is mounted at the pond which is about one-half mile from the free stall barn.

In this case, the PVC pipe which carries the treated pond water that long distance serves as the retention tank since the water is in that pipe for more than the re quired 20 minutes while on its way to the cattle.

In order to ensure that chlorine treatment is effective and to min imize chlorine usage, it is important that pond water is filtered to remove as much organic matter as possible before chlorine is added to it. You can build a primary filter into the pond dike out of crushed stone, sand, and gravel when the pond is being constructed to re move most of the coarse materials found in pond water. Daily testing for chlorine content of the treated water is recommended so that you know proper bacterial kill is taking place.

Ultraviolet light treatment units can be mounted directly in the water line. You don't need a retention tank. The water is treated as it plows through the unit. High waterflow systems may require multiple ultraviolet units in series to be effective.

The water must be filtered ahead of the ultraviolet unit. Pond water may require relatively elaborate filtration because of its high degree of algae and sediments. For example, you may need a primary crushed stone, sand, and gravel filter at the pond to remove the coarse stuff and a commercial sand-gravel filter to remove medium to fine particles, as well as an in-line cartridge as a final filter prior to the ultraviolet unit. The ultraviolet bulb must remain clear in order for the ultraviolet rays to penetrate fully and effec tively kill the bacteria in the water.

Hydrogen peroxide can be injected directly into the livestock water supply line via a chemical feeder pump. No retention tank is needed.

All three methods seem to pro duce similar results if used and managed properly. Local feed sup pliers and plumbing supply com panies as well as dairy equipment installers are good sources of information about water treatment for livestock. Amounts of chemicals or amount of ultraviolet exposure required should be based on water test results.

Nail down the problem...

Cows require water with very low levels of bacteria. If your production per cow is not satisfactory and you suspect a water problem, then check the basics. Are cattle waterers being cleaned and sanitized on a regular basis?

If you already are cleaning waterers regularly and still having a production problem, have your water tested for bacterial levels. Coliform bacteria, in particular, cause problems in cattle digestive systems.

But don't throw money at a perceived problem until you confirm that you have one.

We know that treating pond water gives production benefits. Keeping waterers clean and sanitized also works if the water source is bacterial free. Follow basic livestock water man agement practices first. If those don't yield results, have your water source tested. If treatment is indicated, follow through with a proven treatment method.

The author is a farm quality control supervisor, Upstate Farms Co-op Inc., LeRoy, N.Y.