WATER 19 



i. .(1 and the season. A horse under average conditions will drink 

 from 6 to 8 gallons during the day, but if fed chiefly on fresh green 

 grass he will naturally drink less. Provision should be made for 

 8 gallons for drinking, while for general stable purposes an 

 additional 6 or 8 gallons may be necessary. 



Cattle require fully as much as horses, and milch cows giving 

 a full yield of milk and on dry winter fare without roots or mashes 

 need 10 gallons or more a day. It has been shown that physio- 

 logically a cow requires nearly four times the amount of water 

 (given as water or in the food) for the milk she secretes. A cow 

 giving 4 gallons of milk a day would, according to this, require 

 approximately 13 gallons of water daily. If fed heavily on roots 

 a bullock will actually take in more water than is required, and many 

 feeders do not give their fattening stock water. A further 4 

 gallons per head should be allowed for cleansing purposes in a byre. 



Breeding pigs were found by Dietrich to require from 8 to 10 

 Ibs. of water per 100 Ibs. live weight. Fattening pigs, he says, 

 should have 13 Ibs. of water per 100 Ibs. at two months' old ; 10 Ibs. 

 from three to three and a half months; and about 5 Ibs. when 

 eight months of age. 



There is no doubt that in this country many pig- feeders compel 

 their pigs to take in far too much water by giving practically all 

 the food in the state of a thin soup. The better practice is to feed 

 comparatively dry food and supply clean water for the animals to 

 drink as they need it. 



Fowls and ducks should have an unstinted supply of clean, 

 fresh water, and if it is given in pans these should be emptied 

 and cleaned daily. 



While some stockowners force their animals to take more water 

 than they really need, as with excessive root feeding and the per- 

 petual feeding of slops, some unfortunately fail to see that their 

 stock get a sufficient and regular supply. When roots are scarce and 

 most of the feeding for cattle is dry veterinary practitioners find 

 that impaction of the rumen and stomachs is very common. It is 

 the opinon of many country practitioners that stall-tied cattle 

 are often kept short of water, and thus suffer unnecessary disease. 



Frequently all classes of domestic animals are kept without water 

 for too long a period, with the consequence that when they get access 

 to it drink more than they require. Animals cannot thrive under 

 such unnatural conditions. 



If they do not get sufficient water for their physiological needs 

 they do not eat as freely of dry food as they should for good progress 

 to be made. This fact is not often recognised in the feeding of 



