Water is a fundamental requirement for all organisms, yet as a subject of research, it has received surprisingly little attention, especially in livestock production circles. There are many reasons for this seeming oversight. Water for livestock production in many regions is widely available, if not abundant, and at least in North America, is available at no or relatively little cost. Because it is not traded commercially, unlike vitamins, minerals and amino acids, there has been little financial motivation to study it more thoroughly.
Defining the water requirement of the pig is particularly challenging because intake can be affected by a number of metabolic, physiological and behavioral factors. Most nutritionists would suggest that as long as water is made freely available to the pig, deficiency symptoms can be avoided, so they would suggest that further research is not needed. Sadly, the assumed absence of deficiency symptoms is based more on a lack of investigation than on any empirical scientific evidence. The limited data that do exist would suggest that supplying good-quality drinking water to pigs ad libitum will avoid deficiency symptoms in most, but not all, situations. Nursing and newly weaned pigs and sows in early lactation appear to be the most at risk of experiencing inadequate intake.
Water is a central constituent of the body of the pig, fulfilling many critical functions essential to life. Its unique chemical structure makes it particularly effective in fulfilling these roles. Because intake can be affected by a number of pig and non-pig factors, and because intake is not always a satisfactory reflection of need, defining the water requirement of the pig is particularly challenging. The quality of drinking water can be a serious problem, but it tends to be isolated in regions known to possess aquifers containing problematic minerals such as sulfates, iron, manganese or nitrates.
Although water is abundant and inexpensive in many parts of the world where pigs are raised, the prospect of greater agricultural and nonagricultural demand on water resources suggests that both cost and availability could become issues in many more parts of the world. Therefore, the most efficient use of this valuable resource is essential as we move further into the 21st century.
To read the full article, which includes much more in-depth information on water requirements, delivery and quality, click here.
This article was originally posted in April 2012 by John F. Patience Department of Animal Science with Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.
