One of the most important parts of caring for your cows is understanding cattle water needs. There’s much to consider in looking after your livestock, and water needs can be overlooked. However, water is one of the most important nutrients in their diet. Without fresh, clean water, you’ll run into all sorts of problems, from sickness to cows losing weight and more. 

Here are some frequently asked questions people have about cattle water needs and their answers, so you can better understand how to care for cattle. 

#1. How Much Water Do Cattle Need Per Day?

Water needs vary depending on a variety of factors, from environmental temperature to lactation to how heavy the cow is and more. 

Generally, non-lactating cows and bulls may need a gallon of water per 100 lbs of body weight while a lactating female may need 2 gallons per 100 lbs of body weight.  Young, growing cows may need 4-8 gallons of water a day while mature cows may need 7-10. Lactating cows may need 13-15. These are all generalities, as individual cows will have different needs. 

The hotter it gets, the more water cattle need. Water needs at 90 degrees Fahrenheit can double water needs at 50 degrees Fahrenheit, due to water retention and loss differences. 

#2. Do Cattle Need Water While Grazing?

While grazing cattle do get some water from grazing, it is not enough to meet their needs. It is important to ensure that your cows have a reliable source of fresh, clean water in order to keep them hydrated. 

#3. How Many Days Can Cattle Go Without Water?

Like any other animal, it’s not good for cattle to go too long without water. While they have a large reservoir to draw from, they need to stay hydrated in order to maintain basic metabolic functions. 

How long cows can go without water depends on environmental conditions and individual circumstances. In the heat, cows should have access to water at least every 6 hours. In the winter, cows may go without for 24-48 hours, but this is not optimal and can impact their health. Providing water is important to their performance and from a basic animal welfare standpoint. You should make water available to your cattle at all times. 

#4. What Happens If Cows Don’t Get Enough Water?

Like any other animal, cows need proper hydration in order to stay healthy. Without enough water, bodily functions are impacted. Temperature regulation, lactation, growth, and reproduction all slow and can stop if this goes on long enough. Without enough water, cows become unhealthy and can even die. 

#5. Can Cows Drink Too Much Water?

Cows can indeed drink too much. This is a rare concern, as cows usually stop drinking when they are satisfied, so for them to drink too much indicates underlying health problems. The more prevalent concern is whether or not your cows have enough to drink, to stave off dehydration. Livestock should be given all the water they can drink. 

#6. Will Pond Water Meet Cattle Water Needs?

You want to ensure that the water you are providing your cattle with is fresh, clean, and temperate. Pond water often has bacteria, parasites, and viruses, as well as algae growth. This increases risk of disease. Natural water sources can also dry up or otherwise become unsuitable for your cattle. 

As such, you should plan for your cattle to have access to fresh, clean water, as from an automatic waterer, in order to ensure that their needs are met and they stay healthy. You can read our previous blog, 7 Common Livestock Illnesses From Dirty Water And What You Can Do, to learn more about why cattle need clean water.

#7. Should You Spray Cattle With Water?

Cattle may appreciate being cooled down with a spray of water during summer heat, the same way humans enjoy swimming or a nice shower or bath in order to cool off. 

Make Meeting Cattle Water Needs Easy With Bar Bar A

Bar Bar A makes meeting cattle water needs easier than ever before with our non-electric automatic cattle waterers. Cattle are fast learners, which means that it doesn’t take long for them to figure automatic waterers out. Our waterers connect directly to your water line, making it so that in winter or summer, your livestock always have access to the fresh, clean, temperate water they need in order to stay healthy.

Contact us today to learn more about our non-electric automatic waterers and what they can do for you to help your cattle water needs. 

Understanding horse hydration is essential in order to help your horses maintain good health. Here are 6 common questions that people have about horse hydration to help you understand the various factors involved in this better.

What Are Horse Water Requirements?

While horses can survive for weeks without food, they can only last a few days without water. On average, horses can drink 5-15 gallons of water a day. The more active the horse is or the hotter and more humid the climate, the more water they may need. Their diet and conformation can also impact horse hydration needs.

Horses need fresh, clean, temperate water. While they may drink from natural water sources, these should not be their only source of water, as they can freeze over, become muddy and hard to access, and may spread disease. 

How Long Is Too Long For A Horse To Go Without Water?

Horses shouldn’t go longer than a few hours without access to water. Like most other animals, horses need consistent, adequate water in order to stay healthy. Within a mere 48 hours without water, horses can begin to show signs of colic. Horses can only survive a few days without water.

What Are Signs That Your Horse Is Dehydrated? 

It’s crucial to be able to recognize the signs of dehydration in horses in order to maintain their health. Some of these are as follows:

• Sunken eyes
• Tacky gums
• Dark urine
• Lethargy
• Increased heart rate
• Dry coat/flakey skin
• Decreased appetite
• Prolonged skin tenting (If the horse’s skin snaps right back when you pinch it, they’re hydrated. If it takes longer than a second, your horse may be dehydrated.)
• Reduced capillary refill time (If you press on your horse’s gums, the blood should return in a second or two. If it takes longer than three seconds, your horse may be dehydrated.)

Most of the time, you can help your horse by offering clean, fresh water. However, if your horse is very dehydrated, your vet may need to administer fluids. Whenever you have concerns about your horse’s health, consult with your vet, as they will be able to provide you with advice and information specific to your individual circumstances. 

What Are The Best Ways To Keep Horses Hydrated? 

You know the saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink”? There’s a good reason for this. Horses can be picky about their water. 

The best ways to facilitate proper horse hydration include:

• Providing easy access to clean, fresh, temperate water
• Schedule regular vet check-ups. 
• Provide salt and electrolyte supplements to encourage horses to drink more.
• Adjust their diet accordingly. Incorporating feed with a higher moisture content can help with horse hydration. 
• Provide water before and after exercise.

How Do Horses Drink Water?

Horses don’t lap water like cats do. Rather, they drink it more like humans. They put their muzzle into the water to be able to suck the water up into their mouths.

Can Horses Drink Too Much Water?

While rare, horses can indeed drink too much water. The difference between normal horse hydration and a horse that drinks too much is typically health conditions. Healthy horses typically don’t drink any more than they need. However, if a horse has a health issue, like Cushing’s disease, they can drink in excess.

Drinking too much water puts stress on the horse’s kidneys and can dilute the electrolytes in their body. This can impact their body’s ability to regulate temperature.

When it comes to horse hydration and whether your horse is drinking too much or not enough, you typically don’t have to worry about your horse drinking too much. If they do, you know that something is wrong. However, you do need to be mindful of your horse not drinking enough, as horses can be picky with their water and there are many other factors that can negatively affect horse hydration.

Make Keeping Your Horses Hydrated Easier

Bar Bar A provides non-electric, automatic horse waterers in order to make keeping your horses hydrated easier. Since they are non-electric, you don’t have to worry about your horses being shocked when they try to drink. They connect right to your water line, so that your horses have easy access to fresh, clean, temperate water all year round. 

Contact us today to learn more about our automatic horse waterers and what we can do for you. 

All living things need water to survive. While wild game can find water from natural sources, like streams and ponds, a wild game waterer makes keeping the animals on your property healthy easier than ever. Here’s what you need to know about how getting a wild game waterer can help you.

Avoid Beaver Problems

Beavers are drawn to running water. Their natural instinct is to dam it up, which can create problems on your property, such as flooding. This can lead to damage to crops, timber, and more. If you have beaver problems, you will likely need to dispatch a trapper to remove them.

However, installing a wild game waterer enables you to provide the animals on your property with water while avoiding beaver problems. This is because the waterer connects directly to your water line. It fills up when animals press on the paddle and drains when they’re done. This ensures that animals receive all the water they need while avoiding issues that running water and standing water can cause, like beavers.

Prevent Disease

The Bar Bar A waterers do not have standing water. Rather, they fill when animals press on the paddle and drain when the paddle is released. The only time they have standing water is when they are in training mode, to entice animals to the waterer. Most animals figure out how to use an automatic waterer very quickly, so you don’t need to worry about standing water for very long.

Standing water can create a whole host of issues, from algae growth to providing mosquitoes with a spot to lay their eggs to having bacteria that can cause all sorts of different diseases. If you have game animals on your property, you want them to be healthy. Providing them with water in a way that avoids standing water is a great way to do this.

Attract Animals To Your Property

If game animals do not have a reliable water source on your property, they will venture elsewhere in order to fulfill their natural needs. While you may have natural water sources on your land, these may not be the most reliable. They may dry up or ice over, depriving game animals of access.

A wild game waterer ensures that animals have a constant, reliable supply of water all year round. Since they connect directly to your water line, this means that the water is temperate all year round. It won’t get too hot in the summer, and you won’t have to worry about it freezing over in the winter. Animals will drink more when water is clean, fresh, and temperate, something that an automatic waterer provides for them.

Avoid Electricity

Animals in general are sensitive to electricity. Electric automatic waterers may have electric currents in their water that prevent animals from drinking from them. That’s something that led to the invention of the Bar Bar A automatic waterer. It was noticed that horses were not drinking from their waterer, and when one’s hand was placed in the waterer, it was shocked. It was no wonder why the horses were avoiding the waterer.

That’s why we here at Bar Bar A do not use electricity for our automatic waterers. We have found that non-electric automatic waterers are better for animals, so that’s what we provide.

Wild Game Waterers To Meet Your Needs

If you’re looking for a water source for the wild game on your property, look no further than the Bar Bar A wild game waterer. With how easy it is for animals to learn how to use and how it has been designed to ensure optimal hydration, you can rest easy knowing that you have reliable water sources on your property.

Contact us today to learn more about our wild game waterers or any of the other waterers that we provide.