Water for stock - what type, where and how much?

Giving free access to clean water is a staple for good animal husbandry. Water for your stock can come from a number of different sources. Natural sources such as rivers and channels, or human built dams, ground tanks, wells or bores.

The grazing radius of stock; sheep will not graze much beyond 3 km from water in the summer. Cattle will not graze beyond 5 km in the summer. Salty water or salty feed will reduce the grazing radius. In good seasons when surface water is present, the grazing radius will expand.

Keeping your stock healthy depends on the water quantity, quality and reliability.

Quantity

Sheep can drink up to 10l of water per day, Cattle up to 140l per day per head and goats up to 10l. Your water points need to be cabable of supplying this amount at a minimum.

It is important to note:

• Water consumption by sheep can increase by 80% in extreme, hot conditions.

• Sheep can drink 40% more in summer than winter, and 50-80% more if their water contains more than 2,000ppm total dissolved salts (TDS).

Quality

Common problems affecting water quality include pH (best between 6.5-8.5), iron hardness, corrosion, salinity, other elements, turbidity/cloudiness, algae, colour, taste and odour, bacterial growth.

Having your water tested is the best way to ensure quality.

Reliability

Your water sources need to be able to supply the per head amount at a minimum every day for your entire herd. The reliablity of your water sources can be variable under differening conditions, so recording the state of your water points throughout the year can give you a good picture of which paddocks will be best in what season.