Oral hydration therapy with water affects health and performance of high-risk, newly received feedlot cattle

Abstract

ABSTRACT Our objective was to evaluate the effect of oral hydration therapy with water during initial processing of high-risk crossbred beef calves on health and performance during a 56-d feedlot receiving period. In Exp. 1, 6 arrival blocks of heifers (n = 664, initial BW = 197.1 ± 5.8 kg) were randomized to treatment pens (n = 6 per treatment). In Exp. 2, 3 arrival blocks (initial BW = 188.9 ± 19.1 kg) of bulls (n = 242) and steers (n = 55) were stratified by sex and purchase BW and randomly assigned to treatment pens (n = 15 per treatment) before initial processing. In both experiments, calves received either 0.57 L of water/45.4 kg of BW from a modified oral drenching apparatus (H2O) or no water administration (CON) at initial processing. Treatment-blinded technicians evaluated calves daily and assigned a clinical illness score for bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Cattle qualifying for BRD treatment were administered an antimicrobial. In Exp. 1, BW, ADG, and G:F did not differ (P ≥ 0.63); however, H2O numerically increased DMI (5.29 vs. 5.09 kg/d; P = 0.12) and tended to increase BRD morbidity (29.0 vs. 21.5%; P = 0.07). There was no difference (P ≥ 0.39) in second or third BRD morbidity rate or mortality rate. In Exp. 2, final BW (256.8 vs. 248.7 kg) and overall ADG (1.19 vs. 1.07 kg/d) tended to increase (P = 0.08) and DMI from d 42 to 56 (7.54 vs. 6.85 kg/d) was greater (P