Water for livestock in drought, flood or fire

Managing livestock water needs

Water availability and reliability can change rapidly in drought, flood or bushfire conditions. Livestock may need more water than usual, especially when feeding on dry, fibrous or heat-damaged pasture. 

Include water management as part of your farm’s emergency plan. Consider: 

• how and where you will source water
• the reliability of different water sources (dams, tanks, bores)
• how stock will safely access water
• whether water quality or delivery may be disrupted during emergencies. 

In dry or hot conditions, evaporation losses and demand both increase. Managing water in dry conditions should be part of your drought management plan. 

During floods or fire, contamination is a key concern. Having a plan in place will reduce the risk of decreased productivity and compromising livestock health. 

Monitoring water quality

Water quality is critical to livestock health in all conditions. Factors that can affect water quality include: 

• salinity and mineral content
• pH levels and turbidity
• nutrient imbalances (e.g. nitrogen, phosphorus, iron)
• blue-green algae
• pathogens or faecal contamination
• ash, silt or chemicals after fire or flood
• water temperature, especially in shallow or stagnant sources. 

Water should be clean, cool and fresh. Poor quality water reduces feed intake, slows digestion and can cause health problems. 

Check and test: 

• weekly during drought or hot periods
• after flooding or ashfall
• if livestock show signs of reduced drinking or performance. 

If you're unsure, have water samples tested to identify any risks.

videocam 2:31

Close(Press escape to close)

Video transcript

Dry times series: Water quality

[Music]

Water quality's an issue when times are tough. Right now, dams are getting low, and young animals can be really put off by that and reduce their water consumption—and as a result, reduce their food consumption. That's bad news.

The other problem we see is blue-green algae, and we're already seeing that right now. At the end of February, some dams that I've been looking at just recently have got blue-green algae infestations. Blue-green algae is potentially toxic; it causes sudden death in livestock or liver disease.

The good news is that even though blue-green algae is a problem now, I really don't often see property deaths, which is great—but certainly be on the watch out for that as those dams dry up and the weather warms.

Although water may not help put on weight, it will stop animals from losing weight. So I've been really harping and talking to producers about getting water quality right—making sure that the quality of water is good, particularly in the hot weather that we've been through. I've seen a few situations where we've had issues with water and animals, and that's caused a whole heap of health issues, feeding issues, and performance issues.

So ensure good, clean water. Make sure you're cleaning that water regularly if you're in a trough situation. If you're in a water trough situation where there's not large volumes of water, make sure that you actually try to get some shade over the top of that water to minimize it from heating.

You know, if you look at some water and think, "Oh jeez, I don't like the look of that," I'm pretty much sure that the cattle are not gonna like it—or the sheep are not gonna like it—and that will have an effect on performance and can cause some health issues.

[Music]

Livestock water consumption

Water needs vary with weather, feeding conditions and stock type. Requirements increase in hot weather, during lactation, or when stock eat saltbush or dry feed. Saline water can also raise consumption. 

Poor water quality and unclean water access points can also deter livestock. This can lead to reduced consumption of both feed and water. It is important to manage both feed and livestock drinking water standards.