Use of flavored drinking water in calves and lactating dairy cattle

Experiments were conducted to investigate the use of added flavor in drinking water of Holstein calves and lactating dairy cattle to determine effects on dry feed intake. Nine calves were used in a replicated 3 x 3 Latin square design, and water offered was unflavored or flavored with orange or vanilla. All calves were offered commercial starter. Feed intake of the dry starter was increased in calves offered the orange flavor treatment compared with the control or the vanilla treatment. The increased dry feed intake agreed with the significant increase in weight gain measured in calves on the orange treatment. Further experiments were performed with 4 second-lactation cows using the addition of another orange flavor to the water compared with unflavored water under conditions of free access or time-restricted water access. No significant changes were found for dry matter intake, water consumption, or milk yield. These findings demonstrate an important finding that flavoring agents need not be added only to the starter feed for calves, but flavor can stimulate dry feed intake and BW gain when used in drinking water.