Concerns relating to the use of water resources by the livestock industry, combined with the rising cost of manure management, have resulted in greater interest in defining more precisely the water consumption of pigs. A study was conducted to determine if the crude protein or mineral content of a diet affected water consumption by growing pigs. Although water utilization was increased when the crude protein or mineral content of the diet was excessive, factors other than the diet appear to have a greater impact on water utilization by the pig.

Feeding a diet containing excessive dietary protein will result in increased water utilization by growing pigs. This makes sense as additional water will be required to remove the by-products of protein breakdown from the body. Surprisingly, reducing crude protein by increasing the use of synthetic amino acids will not reduce water intake. Although diet composition may influence water utilization in growing pigs, other factors, such as the environment and the design of the water delivery system appear to have a greater impact. The water:feed ratio was confirmed to be in the range of 2.5:1, provided excess nutrients are not present in the diet.