Tricks to get calves to drink different water supply???

[Hyper Intake]

We have a couple heifers that on the farm drink well water, but whenever we go to shows that don't have well water (all of them) they won't drink the water. They will stick their nose down in it and then not touch it after that no matter how long we try to keep them from water so they get thirsty.  What are some ways that you have used to get them to drink a different water supply so we wont have to keep hauling buckets of well water from home to shows with us?  ???

 

[vc]

Molasses: put molasses in their trough at home and then put it in the water at the show, enough to get some color in it.
Cool-aid: same as the molasses, we used cherry flavor
chlorine tablets: put a small 1" chlorine tablet in the trough, it is best to suspend it in the trough, if it sets on the bottom it can eat at the galvanizing in a metal trough, if your trough is plastic it will be fine on the bottom. Smells just like treated water.
you can use the chlorine and one of the others together as well.

 

[Ohio1]

You can pour bleach in your water at home and it will be like tap water

 

[gbart]

sugar will do the same as molasses, or kool aid works too...you can also put a pinch of snuff in the water.

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

We use Gatorade( blue frost or something like that). The powder works excellent because in dissolves well and will not make a mess in the show box. Also, it is supposed to have nutrition for athletes, so the thinking is that it would be helpful to stock to- not sure if it really has an impact or not. We use it on the cattle, horses, pigs and goats and all seem to like it. We use it on our show stock throughout the year, so whatever is in the string at that time is used to it and ready to go, but a week or two should be all it would take to get a new one used to it.

 

[Diamond]

Soak beet pulp in the water, that works for me. I have had them drink the whole bucket just to get the pulp on the bottom.

 

[rackranch]

I use a filter at shows.  I also make certain the calves will drink out of the same bucktes at home that I use at the show. If they are used to drinking out of a trough and you throw a pink bucket in there face then they might not like it.

 

[SheilAnneDavis]

We've always used with pretty good success a RV water filter. It screws right on the end of the hose and at least the ones we have got here are blue and probably in the $15-20 range, often the first day they still aren't too thrilled with it, but they come around quicker than without it. The way our show was set up during county fairs we could use a couple of old sweetlix tub up and fill them up the day before when we set up so the city water smell and such had a chance to dissipate before they stuck their heads in to drink.

 

[WJ Farms]

We ususally will put a couple of peppermints at the bottom of our big water tub at home then when we get to the show we put  one at the bottom of our water buckets seems to work really well

 

[bruiser]

I buy RV filters at Walmart. They are carbon filters so they take chlorine taste out along with sediment. Another plus is they're CHEAP.

 

[Rocky Hill Simmental]

Kool-aid works. My cattle always liked orange flavored. My black-white faced cattle sometimes ended up with orange around their mouths though  ;D

Lately I've been filling the water buckets early and setting them out in the sun for a few hours. I guess the sun takes the chlorine smell out of the water or something.

 

[Quello]

We use Gatorade( blue frost or something like that). The powder works excellent because in dissolves well and will not make a mess in the show box. Also, it is supposed to have nutrition for athletes, so the thinking is that it would be helpful to stock to- not sure if it really has an impact or not. We use it on the cattle, horses, pigs and goats and all seem to like it. We use it on our show stock throughout the year, so whatever is in the string at that time is used to it and ready to go, but a week or two should be all it would take to get a new one used to it.

We love using Gatorade!  My sons steer will open his eyes super wide when he gets ready for him.  We also use it for his pigs for shows helps rehydrate them.. We have also been know to use powdered jello.  They all love it!

 

[obie105]

I use a filter at shows.   I also make certain the calves will drink out of the same bucktes at home that I use at the show. If they are used to drinking out of a trough and you throw a pink bucket in there face then they might not like it.

Agreed. Many people use new buckets that don't smell cowy. Use them at home some so they smell familiar. Also we water with buckets in the barn morn and night so they get use to wanting to drink that way.

 

[Bradenh]

wont gatorade fail a test? thought i heard that somewhere that its a diahretic or something like that, may have been false information

 

[GHCC]

1st, water the same way you do at home.  If you water in a tank, take the tank to show.  If you are going to bucket water, use the bucket at home.
2nd, let water at show set at least 12 hours before you use it.  This lets chlorine from treated water escape, reduces smell and taste.  We run tonights water this morning and vise versa.
3rd, add something to their water at home and on the road.  We add Iodine Disinfect to our tanks at home and on the road.
4th, keep small salt blocks in front of the while on the road.

 

[vc]

Show stopper, gatoraid is made to help fight dehydration, a diuretic would not be a a big help there.

 

[Shghmh]

We have a plastic tank from TSC (farm supply store) and take our own water. Always have issues with treated water giving them the "squirts." Stools stay consistant with our own water.

 

[Bradenh]

i know but i just had heard thats the deal it falls under, is they get you for a 'diahretic'... who know though, just curious

<cowboy>but i know its not a diahretic its self, or marketed as one

 

[MOClubbyGuy]

Gatorade powder mix is what we use and it helps with the extra electrolytes

 

[chambero]

That rumor on gatorade is false.  If it were true, athletes couldnt use it.  Stop and think about how much drug testing athletes are subjected to.  Cattle are tested for a much shorter list of those same substances.

I prefer Refresh to Gatorade.  One of the cheaper electrolytes made for cattle.

If they flat wont drink, drench them with an electrolyte solution at night.  Often, cattle will feel bad from dehydration and it compounds itself.  A good drenching will sometimes reverse that and get them back on track.