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Hard Water vs Soft
For Dairy Cattle
Studied At VPI
Is there any advantage in providing soft water for lactating dairy cows?
A recently completed 112-day test at VPI Agricultural Experiment Station indicates that the answer is no. „
Dr. G. C. Graf, dairy researcher at the Station, says the question has been discussed pro and con for a long time, but on. the basis of observations, not experimental evidence. The VPI test is believed to. be the first of its kind.
In the test, 12 lactating cows wera selected and grouped according to age size, milk production, and stage of lactation. The two groups were fed alike, and each cow received alfalfa hay, corn silage and grain. The only difference in the rations of the two groups was in the land of water consumed.
One group .received water as it was pumped from the wells on the. campus. The other group received water from the same source which was softened by the zeolite process in which the calcium and magnesium were removed, and sodium added in their place. The “hard” water was somewhat “harder” than the average housewife wishes for washing clothes and dishes. After the water passed through the zeolite practically no hardness was present.
During the 112-day test the average daily feed consumption was 10 lbs. of alfalfa hay, 30 pounds of com silage, and 12 pounds of grain per cow. The cows on “hard” water produced 33 pounds of milk and consumed 97.1 pounds of water daily. The cows on “soft” water produced 33.2 pounds of milk da\y, and consumed exactly the same amount of water. There was a slight difference in the rate of gain in body weight per day between the two groups, but not a significant difference. It could have been due to chance, Dr. Graf said.
He concluded: “The results indicate that for the factors studied, and when the water is no “harder” than that used in the test, there is no need of softening the water used for lactating cows.”
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