Some problems develop faster than your feed strategy can respond. Heat stress, illness or challenges around placement and weaning can reduce feed intake, limiting the support livestock receive through the feed. Drinking water gives you another route to step in when it matters.
On-farm challenges
When in-feed solutions are no longer an option for your livestock
The feed plan was made weeks ago. The problem started this morning.
Feed is the foundation for ongoing support, but conditions on farm can change quickly. When livestock are sick, stressed or under heat pressure, feed intake may fall. That means the animals that need additional support may also receive less of whatever is delivered through the feed.
Water works differently. Animals usually keep drinking when they eat less, and in the heat they drink even more. A product added to the drinking water reaches every animal on the same day, can be started and stopped exactly when you choose, and targets only the group that needs it. That's not a replacement for a good feed strategy. It's the tool that covers the days in between.
Above 25°C, heat starts to cost your animals
No sweat glands and a coat of feathers: birds lose heat mainly by panting. Above 25°C, the first losses begin.
No functional sweat glands and an insulating layer of fat under the skin: pigs struggle to release heat. Above 25°C, the first losses begin.
Fermentation in the rumen adds its own heat on top of the weather. Above 25°C, the first losses begin.
01
Comfort zone
16–25°C
03
Maximum heat loss
Severe heat
Energy goes to cooling, not growth
Your animals eat less to limit the heat made by digestion and drink more. Energy is redirected to keeping cool instead of to growth and nutrient absorption. In humid climates, this can start up to 4°C sooner.
What it means Fewer eggs, slower growth and poorer shell quality.
01
Comfort zone
16–25°C
03
Maximum heat loss
Severe heat
Energy goes to cooling, not growth
Pigs eat less, and eat faster in the cooler hours. Energy is redirected to keeping cool instead of to growth and nutrient absorption. In humid climates, this can start up to 4°C sooner.
What it means Slower growth and weaker reproduction results.
01
Comfort zone
16–25°C
03
Maximum heat loss
Severe heat
Energy goes to cooling, not growth
Your animals eat less to limit the heat made by digestion and drink more. Energy is redirected to keeping cool instead of to growth and nutrient absorption. In humid climates, this can start up to 4°C sooner.
What it means Less milk, lower milk quality and weaker fertility.
Source: Innovad Heat Stress Guide, figures 1 and 2 (comfort zone adapted from Shahzad et al., 2021).
The moments when only the water line is fast enough
How Innovad helps you act on the same day
Common questions about on-farm challenges
What are on-farm challenges in livestock production?
On-farm challenges are health and performance problems that need a response faster than a feed change can deliver. Typical examples are placement and the first days of life, weaning, vaccination, transport, heat waves, disease pressure and poor drinking water quality. They're often predictable, but they still need a quick, practical response on the farm itself.
When is in-feed application not an option?
When speed matters, when only one house or group needs support, or when animals are eating less. A new feed has to be formulated, produced and delivered, and the current bin often has to be finished first. Sick, stressed or heat-stressed animals also tend to reduce feed intake, so in-feed additives reach them least when they need them most.
Why use the drinking water to support animals?
Animals usually keep drinking when they eat less, and they drink more in hot weather. Adding a product to the drinking water reaches the whole group on the same day, for exactly the period you choose. It gives veterinarians, nutritionists and farm managers a flexible tool for the moments a feed strategy can't cover.
Does drinking water application replace a feed-based strategy?
No. A well-designed feed strategy remains the foundation for long-term health and performance. Drinking water application complements it, covering the short, high-risk periods between feed changes, or the situations where one group needs extra support right away.
What does Innovad offer for on-farm challenges?
Farm Pack is Innovad's range of liquid solutions applied through the drinking water. It covers water hygiene, gut support, liver and respiratory support, oxidative stress, energy for day-old chicks and newborn piglets, and gut conditioning for piglets and calves. Our technical team helps you choose what to use at each critical moment.