Winter brings a host of extra challenges for calf raisers. But calves still need the same nutrients and amenities as they do in more temperate months, plus more.
Water plays a critical role in rumen development, and should not be skipped in the winter months, despite the extra time and effort delivering it requires. When preweaned calves have access to free-choice water, they will consume it at about four times their dry-matter intake -- just like older heifers and cows – according to longtime calf nutrition researcher Dr. Al Kertz.
Rumen bacteria must live in water. Without water, rumen development is slowed, and calves also have been shown to consume less starter grain in the absence of water.
“Calves like warm water, especially in the wintertime,” stated University of Wisconsin Regional Extension Dairy Educator Alison Pfau. She added that research has shown even adult cows prefer warm water (86°F vs. 50°F) in hot summer conditions.
A study in Finland, published in the Journal of Dairy Science, showed that preweaned calves drank 47% more water when it was warmed to about 63°F, compared to cold water at around 45°F. Even after weaning, the calves offered warm water continued to drink more. While that study did not show any appreciable body weight gain between the two groups, Kertz noted that the calves were raised on a diet that was very different than would typically be fed in the U.S.
Cold water also delivers a bit of a shock to the rumen. A decades-old study by researchers at South Dakota State University examined rumen temperature in calves after drinking water of various temperatures. They found the rumen temperature dropped significantly when calves consumed water at 45°F, and it took about an hour for the rumen temperature to return to body temperature. So, feeding water at near body temperature (100-102°F) can help keep the rumen environment more stable.
Kertz said warm water feeding also helps calves conserve energy in colder weather, because they do not need to use additional dietary or body energy to warm colder water to rumen temperature. “A third daily water feeding, if milk or milk replacer is fed only twice daily, can help increase starter grain intake, and its subsequent heat of rumen fermentation can help calves to keep warmer,” he advised.
The dry atmosphere of winter is another factor underscoring the importance of water. “A calf exhales more moisture into the drier, colder winter air than they inhale, which leads to losing more body water with each breath compared to warmer air conditions like spring or summer,” advised Pfau.
It’s challenging to deliver water to the calves in the wintertime, but the late calf and heifer specialist Sam Leadley said it was still possible, and very necessary for optimal calf development. “In freezing conditions, take advantage of habit-driven calf behavior. Feed water on a consistent timetable – same time every day,” he advised. “If calf care personnel carefully observe winter water consumption patterns of calves, a ‘feed-and-dump’ routine can work very well.”
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