Good production starts with good water
15 Mar 2022
"One of the cheapest ways for farmers to lift production is to have clean water. Lactating Cows are the biggest land-based mammalian consumer of water; for every litre of milk a cow produces, she needs at least three litres of good quality water. If the water tastes better and isn’t contaminated, it’s of huge benefit because cows will drink more and be less likely to have animal health issues.
Farms have high volume demand for water, necessitating water storage in tanks and, in the case of stock drinking water, troughs. In addition to often drawing water from natural sources, storing water poses a contamination risk. Bird and animal faeces and debris will eventually contaminate that water. Johnes, Parasites and Salmonella can all be carried in troughs.
The FIL Farm Chlor® Chlorinator Rods and FIL Farm Chlor® Trough Tablet range treat the water with chlorine to approved drinking water standards.
Farm Medix Director Natasha Maguire notes that "Offering water that isn’t of good integrity, in other words, not safe for human consumption, is not good for animals either!
And it is not just about water exclusion and compliance: With FIL Farm Chlor Rods, they can simply be added to a tank of water each day for easy chlorination and reliable low dosing for all water on farm. You are essentially producing food- things should be clean and water free from E. coli, but there’s more to consider: It makes sense to harvest an economic benefit as well by ensuring that water fed to the cows is clean, preventing many animal health issues.
"Adding chlorine to water was the biggest breakthrough ever in human health to prevent illness.” adds Maguire. "It makes sense that food producing animals should drink chlorinated water too.
"Chlorine offers low residual protection of water. You’ll notice that wherever rain water runs with no light, it turns green and goes slimy. Algal blooms are toxic, the same thing happens right through the water system and in troughs as well. Chlorine helps to retard slime growth, preserving water taste, safety and cleanliness. All it takes is 6 or 7 trough tablets in the trough after the cows have been in the paddock to keep it crystal clean for the next round- a bucket of Trough tablets will probably last 6 months, but the water in the troughs will remain as clear as when you cleaned them!"
"It’s also important to avoid irrigation of effluent over troughs by covering them, and if you haven’t done so, getting the kids to clean out the troughs in the school holidays will mean pocket money for them, and a several-fold pay back for you with a super-charged season. Its hard to believe something so seemingly trivial is so important."
“And we’re not talking the same type of chlorine as a swimming pool chlorinator uses, Farm Chlor doesn’t contain any UV/light stabiliser and is suited for human consumption.