A note on the water balance of dairy cows drinking nutrient solutions

Attention has recently been focussed on the possibility of supplementing cattle diets with nutrient solutions containing ammonium salts of short chain fatty-acids (Kay, Preston, Walker, Macleod, 1965; Prescott, Shobokshy and Armstrong, 1967). This method of supplementation requires the liquid feed to be as acceptable to the cow as water or, if less acceptable, to be the only source of liquid intake. In both these circumstances there is a possibility that consumption of such liquids likely to be hypertonie will lead to water imbalance in the animal body.