Summary
Drinking water is vital for the health, welfare and productivity of lot fed beef cattle. Limited theoretical or actual data regarding cattle water consumption under the range of different conditions encountered at Australian feedlots is available.
This report reviewed literature pertaining to beef cattle water consumption and experimental work undertaken in Australian feedlots. Predictive water consumption models are compared and their suitability for Australian conditions is discussed. Water consumption data collected from Australian feedlots was reviewed and the main factors influencing water consumption were examined.
