Clean Drinking Water Is Essential to Cows

Clean drinking water is vital to all animals – from newborn calves and heifers, to milking and dry cows. Water aids in maintaining several key physiological functions such as temperature regulation, digestion, and transportation of nutrients at the cellular level.

When it comes to the dairy animals on your farm, do they have access to fresh, clean drinking water at all times? Are the water tubs, water bowls, and buckets around your farm kept clean? Evaluating the waterers around your farm and providing sufficient water to all animals in your herd can help keep animals healthy and optimize milk production, especially during the hot summer months.

Eighty-seven percent of the milk a cow produces is made up of water. For a cow producing 70 pounds of milk, that equates to about 61 pounds of water. Research has found that, on average, a Holstein cow producing 70 pounds of milk would need almost 24 gallons of water per day (Appuhamy, 2016). Offering plenty of fresh, clean water is critical during hot weather, as heat-stressed animals can double their water intake during warmer temperatures.

A dairy cow's daily water intake comes from both drinking water and moisture in the consumed feed ration. Drinking water provides 60–80% of the cow's daily water needs, while the feed ration provides 25–35% of her daily water needs. A lactating cow will drink 30 to 50 gallons of water daily if available (Becker, 2021). During hot weather and if cows are heat-stressed, they may drink double that (Thomas, 2011).

Because cows are social animals, they can tend to synchronize their behavior. Cows may gather to eat or drink at the same time, so there can be competition when water access is limited. Having enough waterers throughout the barn can help ensure that even submissive animals in the group will be able to drink water.

Cows housed in free-stall barns tend to drink about seven times per day, while cows in tie-stall barns drink about 14 times per day. Cows can spend between 10 and 60 minutes drinking water each day (Becker, 2021).

Fresh water not only maximizes a cow's production, but it can help improve her immune system, fertility rates, and feed consumption. Fresh, clean water can help with:

• normal rumen fermentation and metabolism
• proper flow of feed through the digestive tract
• proper nutrient digestion and absorption
• normal blood volume
• tissue needs

Signs of poor water intake in dairy cows can include elevated somatic cell counts, conception failure, early embryonic death or abortions, and erratic eating patterns.

Calves and heifers equally need access to fresh water. Calves should be offered free-choice water along with calf starter by three days of age. Research has shown that depriving calves of fresh water decreases starter intake by 31% and weight gain by as much as 38% when compared to calves provided free-choice water (Amaral-Phillips, 2024). Undesired effects of poor water intake and water quality in calves include higher rates of scours, decreased immune response, lower daily gain, and lower feed efficiency.

To optimize water consumption for your dairy herd:

• Set a schedule to clean all waterers around the farm, including waterers in pastures, and stick to that schedule; waterers should be cleaned at least once a week.
• In tie-stall barns, ensure drinking cups are working properly and select drinking cups with valves that are relatively trouble-free; if possible, provide a cup for every animal to prevent competition over shared cups.
• In group-housed pens, provide three and a half to four inches of waterer perimeter space per cow in the group (Tyson, 2020).
• Ensure water tank height for dairy cows is between 24 and 32 inches above the ground for larger breeds like Holsteins. Water tank heights should range between 21 and 29 inches for Jerseys (Lage, 2023).
• Provide at least two watering locations per pen in larger group housing to prevent dominant cows from protecting the waterer.
• Provide access to water within 50 feet of the feed bunk or at every crossover in a freestall barn.
• After milking, offer waterers that are easily accessible when returning to the barn.
• Ensure adequate flow rate to maintain a minimum water depth of three inches in the trough (Tyson, 2020).
• Use valves that permit 10 gallons/minute of flow as more than one cow may drink at once (Tyson, 2020).

Importance of Water Quality

Monitoring water quality is also important. Routinely checking levels of minerals or possible pollutants in water can be helpful to ensure your herd has access to safe, clean water. Penn State research has shown that minerals like iron, manganese, and hydrogen sulfide are the most common water-related causes of problems for Pennsylvania dairy herds (Swistock, 2024). These pollutants cause tastes or odors that result in reduced water intake. Other pollutants, such as nitrate or heavy metals, can cause negative health effects in dairy herds.

A water sample can be collected from your farm and sent to a laboratory to be tested for chemical and physical aspects such as minerals, total dissolved solids, nitrate-nitrogen, and bacterial content.

The Penn State Agricultural Analytical Services Laboratory offers Livestock Water Test Packages. The cost for a water test through Penn State ranges between $50 and $75, depending on the test. For more information on testing, visit the Livestock Drinking Water Testing page.

Water is an essential nutrient for all dairy animals. When thinking about feeding, herd health, and herd performance, remember the importance of providing fresh, clean water to all ages of animals on the dairy operation.

References

Appuhamy, J.A.D.R.N., Judy, J.V., Kebreab, E. and Kononoff, P.J. 2016. Prediction of drinking water intake by dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 99:(9), 7191-7205.

Becker, C. 2021. The Value of Water. Penn State University Extension Publication.

Lage, C. 2023. Why is Water Essential? Rethinking your cow’s water access. Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Amaral-Phillips, D. Dairy Calves Need Water In Addition to their Milk and Starter. University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Publication. (Accessed 23 May 2024)

Swistock, B. 2024. Interpreting Drinking Water Tests for Dairy Cows. Penn State University Extension Publication.

Thomas, C. 2011. Drinking water for dairy cattle: Part 1. Michigan State University Extension.

Tyson, J. 2020. Competition in the Dairy Barn. (Accessed: 21 June 2024)