Data on: Shade provision and its influence on water consumption and drinking behaviour of Nellore cattle in feedlot in a tropical environment

This research aimed to investigate the differences in water drinking behaviour of beef cattle with and without the provision of shade. The study utilised Nellore steers split into two groups, one with the provision of artificial shade and one without. Over a period of 83 days the water intake behaviour, dry matter intake, and liveweights of cattle in the two groups were monitored.

Data is provided across these areas with the following worksheets provided:

• Drinking behaviour: 19388 recorded drinking events spanning the study period. Time of day, volume of water consumed, and duration of visits to water troughs are provided.
• Dry matter intake: 3854 records covering the daily dry matter intake of all animals in the study.
• Liveweight: 282 records of animal liveweights taken at six timepoint in the lead up to and during the study.
• Weather: Localised weather station data with recorded values for air temperature, humidity, windspeed, and solar radiation, as well as a calculated temperature humidity index (THI) score. Data is recorded at 15 minute intervals over the study period with 7968 records for each weather metric/