While milk is a source of water for calves, free access to water is essential for supporting optimal growth and ensuring the health of the calf. Free access to water is particularly important for calves before weaning, as it encourages dry matter intake.

It has been shown that when water is not provided to calves, dry matter intake decreases by up to 31 percent and weight gain decreases by 38 percent. For each additional liter of water consumed, a daily intake of 82 grams of dry matter and 56 grams of weight gain can be achieved. This information underscores the importance of access to quality water for young calves from an early age.

Mineral Content of Water

The mineral content of well water can vary in different regions. The most fundamental criterion for water quality is total dissolved solids. Additionally, soluble salts and pH are other indicators of water quality that are important for calves.

Water hardness is a physicochemical property of water based on the concentration of calcium, magnesium, and iron. Water turbidity, dissolved solids, acid-base balance, and mineral content of water are all factors that can affect water acceptance, palatability, and overall water intake by animals. High concentrations of cobalt, copper, and hydrogen sulfide, manganese, and sulfur depend on the pH and concentrations of cations and anions in water. It has been shown that hydrogen sulfide reduces palatability, acceptance, and water consumption in adult cows. It is recommended that the total sulfur content in the drinking water for calves should be less than 500 milligrams per liter.

Interactions Between Minerals and Related Metabolic Problems

Copper interacts with manganese and several other elements. The acid-base balance and the anion-to-cation ratio affect the extent of this interaction. The solubility of minerals and trace minerals in the calf's digestive system is important for absorption. The presence of aluminum can reduce feed intake, weight gain, ash weight of bones, and phosphorus content in bones. However, aluminum solubility in water is low, and the risk of aluminum poisoning is weak.

Organic Contaminants

The presence of E. coli, coliforms, Salmonella, protozoa, total bacteria, and organic toxins can pose problems in calf water. When assessing microbial contamination in water, simply relying on the reported CFU per milliliter is insufficient. It should be considered that this is only the reported bacterial count based on CFU at that moment, and the potential for bacterial growth under varying temperature and environmental conditions is not taken into account. Even low levels of coliforms, E. coli, or Salmonella can quickly rise to dangerous levels. The presence of contaminants such as inert organic compounds like pesticides, fuel contaminants, dyes, and other pollutants in water can be measured using high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, and liquid chromatography. The maximum recommended levels for coliforms in water range from 10 to 5000 per 100 milliliters, with the lower limit recommended for calves and the higher limit for adult cows. High concentrations of iron in water are limiting, as Salmonella bacteria thrive in water with high iron content.

Quality of drinking water for calves

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