Water, a fundamental element of life, plays a pivotal role in the daily existence of cattle. It is indispensable for growth, fetal development, lactation, and overall production. Despite its significance, water can often be overlooked by producers.
As a producer, your role in safeguarding the well-being of your cattle is not just important, it’s crucial. While protein, energy, and minerals may take the spotlight, it’s essential to recognize that water is equally vital. Your duty to provide sufficient, clean water is not merely a task, but a pivotal part of your cattle’s health and productivity.
Providing your herd with the right amount of water is not a simple task. It requires careful planning and a basic understanding of your cattle’s needs and habits. Your role in this process is crucial; it’s rewarding. Getting it right will ensure you maximize the benefits of this essential resource, leading to healthier and more productive cattle.
Importance of Water
As I mentioned earlier, water is an essential nutrient for any living thing, including cattle, to survive. A certain amount is required for things to run correctly.
But how much water does a cow actually need?
A cow’s water intake requirement can vary based on a few different factors. You can see in the table to the left that the amount of milk produced will affect it. The outside temperature (obviously) can have an effect on water consumption.
Many studies, including one from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, have shown that a cow’s water intake can vary from 3 to 30 gallons a day depending on certain factors. These factors include size(weight), age, stage of production, and the weather. For instance, a lactating cow in hot weather will require more water than a non-lactating cow in moderate weather.
It’s not just about the water quantity but also the quality. Clean and abundant water is not a luxury but a necessity for your cattle’s health. Any dirty or contaminated water, such as algae, can significantly increase the risk of illness. This underscores the urgency of maintaining a clean water supply for your herd.
If you have any questions about the water you have, your local county extension office can help. The local NRCS office can also help with this. They will have information on setting up specific structures to have the most negligible environmental impact.
Monitor their intake
Surface water is often the primary water source for cattle in the pasture. Since it is a source for it, if the weather is dry enough, it can dry up. The water source drying up can be remedied if a live water tap is near your fill tanks. If you do not have a live tap, then moving cattle out of the pasture or hauling water is your only option for the short term.
If you think hauling water will be easy, let me warn you. Keep in mind that a cow will drink 20 gallons, and calves will drink 5 to 8 gallons per day. I don’t know about you, but that is a lot of water that will need to be hauled, and to top it off, you can’t let it run out. A cow can go a couple of days without water, which is not really the issue here. The problem comes in trampled calves at the tanks when you start dumping fresh water. If you are hauling water, you will need to do it before the naturally supplied water runs out. Hauling water before things dry out allows the cows to establish their pecking order before it becomes a dire situation. It’s also important to consider the logistics of hauling water, such as the distance to the water source, the capacity of the hauling equipment, and the time and effort required.
What size trough do I need?
Now that you know how much water your cows will need, you must consider how you will deliver that water. Stock tanks are a popular choice, but they do have some drawbacks. For one, it is more likely that the water can get contaminated by the cows hanging out in it. Plus, it is unnecessary and expensive to have one dug for every place that is needed. Other options include concrete troughs, which are durable but can be costly, and plastic troughs, which are lightweight and easy to clean but may not be as durable as concrete.
A water trough is generally a good idea, but some things must be considered when choosing one.
The size of the trough you will need will depend on the number of animals in the pasture. But you will also need to factor in how far apart from each other they are. Water troughs being too far apart will make going to get a drink more of a social event. Cows prefer only to travel to places that are in sight of the others. So the entire herd will go to it at the same time.
Group activity factor
When a group activity occurs, such as all the animals in the pasture coming to drink at the same time, the tank should be able to hold 25% of the total daily intake. It should also allow for 5% to 10% of the animals to drink simultaneously. If the troughs are close enough, then it should let 2% to 4% of the total herd. As with figuring bunk space, you will want there to be about 2 feet of room for each animal that will be drinking at any time.
Another thing to consider is the amount of time it would take the trough to fill back up again. In a group activity, you will want the trough to fill completely back up within an hour. On the occasion that only a tiny number will show up to get a drink, a refill time of about four hours could work.
How many water troughs do I need?
Studies have shown, like that with the NRCS, that cattle tend to graze less than 600 to 900 feet from any water source they have. This reason is because they prefer not to travel far from their water source. So, when figuring out how many you need, plan for the cows not to have to go any further distance. When the troughs are too far apart, then some areas of the pasture will be underutilized. This concept is known as ‘grazing distribution, ‘it’s essential for optimizing pasture utilization and preventing overgrazing in certain areas.
I talk about how you can use certain supplements in order to improve the grazing distribution here.
On a side note: the troughs should be made of material that will be expected to last at least ten years. Concrete is a popular choice that holds up well and can last for decades with proper maintenance. Used tractor tires are also popular, but clean the inside thoroughly before using them. Also, place the trough on a solid pad (such as concrete or gravel) that is 6 to 8 feet in radius from the trough. Having this pad will prevent any mud from being formed around it that could end up causing a problem like hoof rot.
