Released January 25, 2010
FARGO, N.D. -- Recent snow and ice storms and power outages have been brutal for livestock and livestock producers.
Those conditions have kept livestock from getting enough drinking water. Beef cattle, for example, need 8 to 10 gallons per day.
Producers might be tempted to think their cattle can survive by eating snow as a water source, but even when a lot of snow is available, beef cattle need water, according to North Dakota State University Extension Service veterinarian Charlie Stoltenow.
“By and large, cattle do not adapt to eating snow as a water source very quickly,” he says. “Wildlife have learned how to paw, scrape and eat ice and snow for their water needs. Cattle can do the same, but not overnight or in a two-week period. To successfully adapt a herd of cattle to consuming snow for their water needs actually takes years.”
However, not all cows can make the transition, he notes.
--article continued on North Dakota State University Extension news
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