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Water Systems for Livestock

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Water Systems for Livestock

Livestock drink about 0.2-0.3 liters per chicken per day, 4-8 liters per goat, 40-80 liters per cow and 80-120 liters per dairy cow, so a mixed holding needs hundreds of liters a day. Float valves in troughs and a gravity-fed supply keep levels topped up without carrying, and in freezing weather troughs need insulation or a sunny, dark container.

Part of Barn & Livestock Housing Design

Water systems for livestock are the storage, piping and troughs that deliver drinking water to animals reliably, without labour or contamination.

Water Is A Daily Input Sized By The Big Animals

Other cattle drink 40-80 liters a day and a dairy cow drinks 80-120. A flock of chickens drinks almost nothing by comparison. The system is sized by the big animals, since in the example below the two cows need 160-240 L of the 188-294 L total, and the design is judged by how little carrying it needs. Automatic waterers on a gravity-fed supply reduce labour; the minimum is a float valve (salvaged from a toilet tank) in each trough to hold the level.

What You Need

  • A water source or tank higher than the troughs, so gravity delivers; see Gravity-Fed Plumbing
  • Float valves at each trough; see Float Valves
  • Pipe and fittings, sized for the flow; see Water Pipe Sizing
  • Storage — a tank sized for several days, such as a ferrocement tank
  • Troughs placed so manure and runoff do not drain into them

Method: Plan And Build

Step 1: Total the daily demand. Multiply each species’ count by its daily figure and add.

Step 2: Size the storage. Hold several days of use so a pump failure or dry spell does not strand the animals.

Step 3: Place the troughs. Put them where manure and runoff do not wash in, and where animals can drink without crowding.

Step 4: Fit float valves. Salvaged toilet-tank float valves keep the trough level without attendance.

Step 5: Protect against frost. In freezing climates insulate troughs, or use a dark-coloured container in a sunny location to resist freezing.

Worked Example

A holding of 20 hens, 6 goats and 2 dairy cows.

  • Hens: 20 × 0.2 = 4 L up to 20 × 0.3 = 6 L a day.
  • Goats: 6 × 4 = 24 L up to 6 × 8 = 48 L a day.
  • Dairy cows: 2 × 80 = 160 L up to 2 × 120 = 240 L a day.
  • Total = 4 + 24 + 160 = 188 L up to 6 + 48 + 240 = 294 L a day.
  • Seven days of storage = 188 × 7 = 1,316 L up to 294 × 7 = 2,058 L.

Common Mistakes

  • Troughs downhill of the manure heap — runoff contaminates them.
  • No frost plan — troughs freeze solid and animals go thirsty.
  • Open, deep troughs for chicks — young birds drown; use shallow drinkers.

Safety

Contaminated water

Water that stands in a trough grows algae and collects droppings. Scrub troughs regularly, and keep drinking water for people separate from livestock troughs.

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