Question:
How much water does a dairy cow drink?
Answer:
At least a bathtub full every day!
It's a little more complicated than that but it does give you a picture of the amount needed for a grown cow. The complicated part is that cows not only drink water but their needs are also met by water that is contained in their feed, as well as from metabolic water produced by the oxidation of organic nutrients.
The amount of water lost from a cow's body is influenced by the animal's activity,air temperature,humidity,respiratory rate,water intake, feed consumption, milk production and other factors.
The heat and humidity we are experiencing in Northwest Arkansas definitely makes a difference in how much water each cow will drink!
On our farm, water is provided in water tanks located in convenient locations for the cows in every pasture and inside the feed barn.
It's our job to make sure that clean,fresh water is available everyday.
