Water use by beef cattle
Many farmers had received a survey asking about their water use. This has raised many questions as most producers don't know exactly how much water a cow drinks in a day. Water use will differ dramatically by type of animal and environmental temperature, but for planning purposes (and for the survey in question) you need to know the maximum amount of water an animal (and the herd) would use in a given day. Here are the figures we use for planning purposes assuming a 90 degree high temperature. This information is adapted from the National Research Council's publication Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle.
Using those numbers, a 100 cow herd (including 3 bulls) with spring calving would use a maximum of 2563 gallons per day. A 100 cow herd with fall calving and marketing of the calves before the heat of summer would use a maximum of 1363 gallons per day during the summer, but during peak lactation (November) with high temperatures in the 60s they would need 1833 gallons per day (11 gallons for bulls and 18 gallons for cows). The same fall calving herd that keeps all their calves over the summer would need to plan for 2763 gallons per day with peak use during the heat of the summer.
- Lactating cow: 25 gallons/day
- Dry cow: 14 gallons/day
- 600 lb stocker: 13 gallons/day
- 1000 lb finisher: 21 gallons/day
- Mature bull: 21 gallons/day
Using those numbers, a 100 cow herd (including 3 bulls) with spring calving would use a maximum of 2563 gallons per day. A 100 cow herd with fall calving and marketing of the calves before the heat of summer would use a maximum of 1363 gallons per day during the summer, but during peak lactation (November) with high temperatures in the 60s they would need 1833 gallons per day (11 gallons for bulls and 18 gallons for cows). The same fall calving herd that keeps all their calves over the summer would need to plan for 2763 gallons per day with peak use during the heat of the summer.
