In winter, green feed is scarce and water storage is hindered, so cattle farmers must guard against cold-induced dehydration

    In winter, green feed is scarce and of low quality, and the mechanism by which cattle store water through feed is hindered, making them prone to cold-induced dehydration, which is more common and more serious than heat-induced dehydration in midsummer. Therefore, in winter, whether raising dairy cattle, draft cattle, beef cattle or pregnant cows, if water for physiological regulation, water for nutritional supplementation, water for invigorating blood and strengthening bones, and water for benefiting the mother and calming the fetus can be provided separately according to the different conditions of the cattle, it will help the cattle overwinter healthily and help fetal development.  

Drinking water for cattle in winter

    1. Drinking water for physiological regulation:Water for physiological regulation can both cool the body with water and warm the body with water. 1. Cooling with water: In winter, cattle eat a large amount of dry feed, which easily leads to an imbalance between water and feed, causing internal heat to become excessive, body temperature to rise, and the cattle to be restless whether standing or lying down, with reduced appetite, constipation and hot urine, etc. Cooling methods such as cold drinks, guided drinking and mixed drinking can be adopted, often giving sufficient clean cold water; for each adult cow, mix 0.3-0.6 kg of liquor or 0.2 kg of urea into 5 kg of cold water each time, and let the cow smell it and drink on its own; dry rice straw fed to them can also be placed in clean water one day in advance and soaked for 3-5 hours, which can clear internal heat. 2. Warming with water: In the cold winter, for cattle in weak body condition, the water should be boiled hot to 40°C, and after mixing in 30-50 grams of salt or 100 grams of soy sauce per kg of water, feed it to them to drink; warm water can also be used to mix feed for feeding, which can drive away cold with heat and enhance appetite. 

 
    2. Drinking water for nutritional supplementation:According to the different conditions of the cattle body, feed the following 3 kinds of supplementary water respectively: 1. Fat supplementary water. Grind fat-type feeds such as rice bran cake, peanut cake, sesame cake, cottonseed cake and rapeseed cake into powder, take 3-5 kg per cow per day, add another 2-4 kg of distillers' grains, 10 kg of chopped forage, 100 grams of salt and 15 kg of hot water, mix well and feed to the cattle. 2. Protein supplementary water. Soak soybean cake (residue) in water at a ratio of 1:10-15, then feed. 3. Trace element supplementary water. Trace elements can be added to drinking water; for young cattle, feed 5-10 mg of zinc, 6-12 mg of iron, 4-8 mg of calcium and 10-15 mg of magnesium per head per day, continuously for 1 winter, with very good results.  

    3. Drinking water for invigorating blood and strengthening bones:There are two commonly used kinds of water for invigorating blood and strengthening bones: 1. Wind-dispelling and dampness-removing decoction: take 1 kg of loquat leaves, 0.5 kg of Diploclisia glaucescens, 1 kg of cogongrass rhizome, 1 kg of orange peel, 20 grams of Angelica sinensis, 25 grams of Atractylodes macrocephala, 30 grams of Lycium barbarum, 25 grams of Lilium brownii, and 20 grams of ginseng rootlets, decoct them together into a decoction, add 2-3 kg of rice wine, and feed once each in the morning, at noon and in the evening, 1-2 kg each time; generally, recovery can be achieved after drinking it for 15 days. 2. Bone-strengthening and fattening decoction: take 1-2 kg of fresh dog bones, or 2-3 kg of fresh goat bones, or 3-5 kg of fresh pork ribs, stew them plainly into 15-20 kg of bone soup, add 100-150 grams of salt, then burn the bones into ash, sieve it and mix it into the bone soup, and let the cattle drink 2-3 kg each time; after drinking continuously for one week, it will be effective. 

    4. Drinking water for benefiting the mother and calming the fetus:Water for benefiting the mother and calming the fetus is helpful for protecting pregnant cows and promoting embryonic development. Take 80 grams of Angelica sinensis, 60 grams of Codonopsis pilosula, 50 grams of Atractylodes macrocephala, 150 grams of Coix seed, 25 grams of ginseng rootlets, 120 grams of jujube seed, 20 grams of gypsum, 15 grams of Coptis chinensis, 20 grams of honeysuckle, 200 grams of Leonurus japonicus and 40 calcium tablets, boil them together into a decoction and feed it; the liquid can also be obtained after soaking in water at 70-100°C for 5-7 hours and then fed, and the medicine can also be crushed and mixed into the feed for feeding. Throughout the whole winter, 2-3 doses can be prepared and fed to pregnant cows, once every 3-4 weeks, which can make the cows strong and the embryos healthy.