Drinking Behaviour of Beef Cattle Subject to Water Medication in Various Environmental Conditions
, Vivienne McCollum 2, Sarah Mcilveen 2, Kawane Dias da Silva 1,3, William Luiz de Souza 1,4, Priscila Arrigucci Bernardes 1,5 and Diogo Fleury Azevedo Costa 1Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors
In the Introduction section you should explain or justify which nutrients are important for beef cattle and/or how it could influence on their healthy. Especially these nutrients which you added to the water in the study.
As authors said "a constant supply of adequate water in livestock production is as important as having feed available” so answer the question about drinking behaviour of cattle is very interesting and relevant. Authors investigated potential differences in animal drinking behaviour, when nutrients were added via water. There should be more information in the introduction section about potential impact of the nutrients in the water on cattle health. Especially those whose addition to water was later analyzed.
Topic is original and the methodology section is very specific and clear. Authors found that water medication can be employed for beef cattle grazing in tropical conditions with no disruption to their natural behaviour. So it is important, especially taking into account animal welfare.
Author Response
Comments from Reviewer 1:
General comments:
In the Introduction section you should explain or justify which nutrients are important for beef cattle and/or how it could influence on their healthy. Especially these nutrients which you added to the water in the study.
Response:
*** Thank you. We agree it is a very important point and have added a paragraph following your suggestion. ***Lines 49-53 now read: “In addition to water, cattle require nutrients such as protein or minerals, e.g. P (Phosphorus) [4,5]. Water medication can be used as a tool to supply Nitrogen and P via the livestock water supply. Ensuring proper levels of these minerals in their diet is crucial for maintaining optimal health, growth, reproduction, and overall performance.”
As authors said "a constant supply of adequate water in livestock production is as important as having feed available” so answer the question about drinking behaviour of cattle is very interesting and relevant. Authors investigated potential differences in animal drinking behaviour, when nutrients were added via water. There should be more information in the introduction section about potential impact of the nutrients in the water on cattle health. Especially those whose addition to water was later analyzed.
Response:
*** You are absolutely right. This work was conducted firstly to evaluate if water medication was affecting their “preference” for water source. Of course it would be important to add a specific nutrient if this was lacking in their diet. However, if an animal consumed less water when the latter was added (e.g. Nitrogen or Phosphorus), it could have deleterious effects on performance. Experiment 1 was important to demonstrate that the animals were still consuming the water with or without minerals added and they had no preference. The latter suggest that water medication can be employed to inject limiting nutrients via the water supply.
Topic is original and the methodology section is very specific and clear. Authors found that water medication can be employed for beef cattle grazing in tropical conditions with no disruption to their natural behaviour. So it is important, especially taking into account animal welfare.
Response:
*** We extend our sincere gratitude to the reviewer for your invaluable feedback. Your insights were instrumental in enhancing the quality of our manuscript. Thank you for your thorough review and helpful suggestions.
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors
The MS entitled “Drinking behaviour of beef cattle ” by Romanzini et al investigate the drinking behavior of beef cattle subject to water medication in a controlled environment and an extensive grazing system. Authors found that water medication for beef cattle did not disrupt the natural behaviour of beef cattle, which provide strong evidence for the management of livestock production systems. Here are some suggestions for the improvement of the MS to be published in the journal Ruminants.
Minor comments
L60 “took place” change into “was conducted”
Table 1: “Variable” and “Item”, repeated, used one is ok
L277 “Understanding water preferences in cattle is crucial for optimizing their well-being and performance. Proper hydration is essential for overall health, digestion, and nutrient absorption in cattle“ this sentence seems redundant
Table3 standard error of the mean should be added, same as Table 5
L318-L326 show these results in a table or a Line chart with the standard error of the mean
L475 changes in water availability
Comments on the Quality of English Language
Moderate editing of English language required.
Author Response
Comments from Reviewer 2:
The MS entitled “Drinking behaviour of beef cattle ” by Romanzini et al investigate the drinking behavior of beef cattle subject to water medication in a controlled environment and an extensive grazing system. Authors found that water medication for beef cattle did not disrupt the natural behaviour of beef cattle, which provide strong evidence for the management of livestock production systems. Here are some suggestions for the improvement of the MS to be published in the journal Ruminants.
Response:
***We deeply thank the reviewer, for their insightful critique. The detailed analysis has truly enriched our manuscript.
Minor comments
L60 “took place” change into “was conducted”
Response:
***It has been corrected as suggested. Note that we wanted to avoid repetition by avoiding the use of “was conducted” in the same line. Now ***Lines 64-65 read: “The study was carried out in two separate locations. Experiment 1 was conducted at…”.
Table 1: “Variable” and “Item”, repeated, used one is ok
Response:
***Thank you. The word “variable” has been removed.
L277 “Understanding water preferences in cattle is crucial for optimizing their well-being and performance. Proper hydration is essential for overall health, digestion, and nutrient absorption in cattle“ this sentence seems redundant
Response:
***The sentence has been rewritten. ***Lines 281-284 now read: “Understanding water preferences in cattle particularly when water medication is in place is crucial for optimizing their welfare, liveweight gain and reproduction. Proper hydration is essential for overall health, digestion, and nutrient absorption in cattle, directly affecting production.”
Table 3 standard error of the mean should be added, same as Table 5
Response:
***These results are from one sample per treatment only, hence why SEM or SD were not included.
L318-L326 show these results in a table or a Line chart with the standard error of the mean
Response:
***A Line chart has been added between ***Lines 322-329.
L475 changes in water availability
Response:
***Thank you. The suggestion to add “changes in” has been incorporated in ***Line 475.
*** We genuinely appreciate Reviewer 2's time and dedication to this manuscript. We are certain this revised version of the manuscript has greatly improved as a reflection of the feedback from all Reviewers.
