Water intake: how much a herd drinks daily
Water intake is the amount of water an animal takes in each day, from troughs and from the water in its feed. It rises with dry matter intake, milk yield, hot weather and the salt in the diet.
How much water does a cow or sheep need?
Water intake depends on species, body weight, milk yield, air temperature and the dry matter eaten. Dairy cows often drink several litres for every kilogram of dry matter they eat, and animals in milk or under heat stress drink far more than dry animals. Short water means less feed eaten and less milk, so size troughs and supply for the hottest, busiest days instead of guessing.
Questions from the farm
Does water in feed count toward intake?
Yes. The water in fresh grass and silage counts, but dry rations supply very little, so troughs must cover the rest.
How HerdMobile helps
Bring your animals, feed stocks and farm accounts together on your Android phone. HerdMobile keeps your daily work moving offline: record events, compare feed quantities and follow sales and payments in one place. Use your own feeds and herd information to prepare a ration, then keep a backup file under your control.
HerdMobile keeps feeding, milk and health records together, so when intake drops you can look at it alongside the weather, the milk yield and any health events.
