The following sections discuss water intake and requirements, water quality and guidelines for proper use of cattle waterers. The expected daily water intake for different classes of dairy cattle is shown in Table I . Lactating dairy cows require 4.5-5 pounds of water per pound of milk produced. This equates to roughly one-half gallon of water for every pound of milk secreted. As an example, a cow producing 100 pounds of milk daily could consume as much as 50 gallons of water.
Cows have peak water intake during the hours when feed intake is greatest.
When given the opportunity, cows tend to alternately consume feed and drink water. Ideally, fresh, clean water should be available to the cow whenever she consumes feed. In a cold environment, most cows will prefer liquid water to snow or crushed ice. Therefore, to promote adequate water intake it is important to keep waterers and water tanks or troughs open and relatively free of ice during winter months. In some studies, cows consumed more chilled water with no effect on feed intake or milk yield.