FRANKLIN CO., Pa. — When it comes to the dairy animals on your farm, do they have access to fresh, clean drinking water all the time? 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.

Clean drinking water is vital to all animals – from newborn calves, heifers, and 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.

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 from 30 to 50 gallons of water a day if available (Becker, 2021).

–Daniela Roland, Penn State Extension
Franklin Dairy Educator