By Richard Purdin
July got off to a hot and dry start for much of Ohio and for livestock managers this brings on added chores on the to do list to keep livestock healthy and productive. Water is the source of life and I often preach on the importance and the critical role it plays in animal health. When livestock have clean fresh water to always drink, they will better consume feed and forage and absorb it nutrients more efficiently. More adequate water consumptions can equate to better rate of gain, increased fertility and reproductive performance, increased milk production and weaning weights, and much more benefits. When water is not available or the tainted in anyway livestock will avoid drinking or try to find water in other areas, this can have a detrimental effect on animal health and should be priority for managers to prevent. There can be multiple factors that lead to water be tainted or unpleasant for livestock consumption but one of the most common factors during the summer is the build up of algae growth in water tanks, troughs, or reservoirs.
Keeping algae out of the livestock drinking facilities can be a big challenge. Algae in livestock water tanks is not just a nuisance but it can also be toxic to livestock. There are different types of Algae that can grow and thrive in livestock water tanks, warm weather, livestock saliva, sunshine, and introduction of organic matter or manure can provide a perfect growing condition for algae. There are several different types of algae that can be found growing in livestock water tanks but one that get the most attention is the blue green algae or also called cyanobacteria. This type of algae can be toxic to livestock causing symptoms of blue green algae toxicosis. Symptoms of blue green algae toxicosis include muscle tremors, bloody diarrhea, seizures, excessive salivation, and liver failure. Steps should be taken to maintain a clean water supply for livestock no matter what time of year it is but it is especially important during the hot summer months. Livestock will refuse to drink water with high population of algae, and this can lower overall animal performance and put their health in jeopardy. Some steps to take to maintain a clean water supply and reduce algae growth include.