Preference and drinking behavior of lactating dairy cows offered water with different concentrations, valences, and sources of iron

Abstract

Drinking water can contain high concentrations of Fe, mainly of the ferrous (Fe(2+)) valence. The current recommended upper tolerable concentration of Fe in drinking water for cattle (0.3mg/L) comes from guidelines for human palatability, but cattle may be able to tolerate higher concentrations. Our objective was to determine the effects of varying concentrations of ferrous (Fe(2+)) or ferric (Fe(3+)) iron and Fe salt source on lactating dairy cows' preferences for and drinking behavior of water offered as choices ad libitum. In 4 separate experiments, cows were offered pairs of water treatments for 22-h periods and water intake and drinking behavior were recorded. In experiment 1, treatments were 0, 4, or 8 mg of total recoverable Fe/L from ferrous lactate. Cows exhibited no preference between water with 0 or 4 mg of Fe/L, but water intake was less with 8 compared with 0 or 4 mg of Fe/L. Also, cows spent less time drinking water containing 8 mg of Fe/L. Total time spent drinking correlated positively with water intake when pooled across treatments. In experiment 2, treatments were 0 or 8 mg of Fe/L from either ferrous sulfate (FeSO(4)) or ferric sulfate [Fe(2)(SO(4))(3)]. Water intake did not differ among treatments. In experiment 3, treatments were 0 (control), 12.5, or 8 mg of Fe/L from ferrous chloride (FeCl(2)) or ferric chloride (FeCl(3)), respectively. Again, cows exhibited no preference among treatments. In experiment 4, treatments were 0 or 8 mg of Fe/L from ferrous lactate [Fe(C(3)H(5)O(3))(2)], ferrous sulfate (FeSO(4)), or ferrous chloride (FeCl(2)). Cows preferred to drink water without added Fe, but did not exhibit any preference among waters containing the Fe sources with different anionic moieties. Cows spent less time drinking and drank less frequently when offered water containing 12.5mg of total recoverable Fe/L from ferrous chloride compared with 8.0mg of Fe/L from ferrous lactate or ferrous sulfate. Water intake correlated positively with both drinking duration and frequency when pooled across treatments in experiment 4. Overall, our results indicate that upon first exposure to drinking water, lactating dairy cows tolerate concentrations of Fe up to 4 mg/L from ferrous lactate without reducing water intake; however, water intake was reduced with 8 mg of total recoverable Fe. Preference did not appear to be influenced by Fe valence or added Fe source.

Effect of abomasal ferrous lactate infusion on phosphorus absorption in lactating dairy cows

“…Lowered milk and fat production in dairy cattle dosed orally with 30 to 60 g of Fe/d in the form of ferric hydroxide (Coup and Campbell, 1964) was reported. Genther and Beede (2013) reported lowered water intake by lactating cows with 8 mg of Fe/L drinking water. Water Fe of the same magnitude as in the current study might reduce water intake due to palatability, potentially affecting production.…”

“…Excess iron available in the intestinal tract can interfere with absorption of other minerals and may cause oxidative stress, bacterial infection, diarrhea, and reduced weight gain (Coup and Campbell, 1964;Standish et al, 1971;Bullen et al, 1978;McGuire et al, 1985;Hansen et al, 2010). Genther and Beede (2013) reported lower water intake in lactating cows abomasally infused with ferrous lactate equivalent to 8 mg of Fe/L of drinking water. Iron is the third most frequent and important anti-quality consideration for dairy cattle and Fe toxicity is sometimes exacerbated in transition cows and fresh cows (Beede, 2005).…”

Effects of mineral content of bovine drinking water: Does iron content affect milk quality?

“…No significant difference (P > 0.05) was noted in milk yield when cattle were infused with iron treatments (Feng et al, 2013). It is known that the amount of iron in water can affect the palatability of the water (National Primary Drinking Water Regulations, 2011) and cows that are on restricted water intake, whether from lack of availability (drought) or lack of willingness to consume (metallic flavor) may produce less milk (Genther and Beede, 2013).…”

“…Due to high levels of water needed per cow, it is likely that high (above EPA secondary standards) iron content in water (>0.3 mg/kg) could influence milk composition and oxidative stability (National Primary Drinking Water Regulations, 2011). Genther and Beede demonstrated that metallic flavors in milk, as occurs at the EPA SMCL, may cause cattle to consume less water and produce less milk (Gary et al, 2007;Genther and Beede, 2013).…”

Neuer Blick auf ein altes Element – Eisen, Hepcidin und Entzündung

“…Die empfohlene Fe-Konzentration für Tränkewasser liegt unter 3 mg/l. Ab einer Fe-Konzentration von > 10 mg/l wird die Schmackhaftigkeit und damit die Aufnahme durch Tiere maßgeblich beeinträchtigt (Übersichten bei [15] [16]).…”