Teagasc is warning farmers to calculate water flow to troughs, so that cows have enough water during the current spell of warm sunny weather.

There are a number of key risks which can cause issues for you herd:

  • If the water pipe is too small, then there is a risk of reduced water pressure at the trough.
  • If the trough is too small, there will be an inadequate reserve and bullying at drinking could occur, as well as a drop in milk yield.
  • If the ballcock is too small, then the trough will fill slowly.
  • How to calculate water flow

    Assuming that the daily demand per cow is 80 litres, this means an hourly flow rate of 13 litres/cow/hour is required, according to Teagasc.

    That is; 80x50%/3 = 13 litres/cow/hour.

    Therefore, for a herd of 100 cows, the flow rate needs to be approximately 100 cows x 13 litres/hour, which equals 1,300 litres/hour or 22 litres/minute.

    How to check the flow rate on your farm

    When it comes to checking the flow rate of water on your farm, Teagasc advises the following:

  • Mark the level of water in a trough.
  • Tie-up the ballcock and empty about 25 litres from the trough.
  • Release the ballcock, hold it down and measure the time it takes in minutes to refill to the original mark.
  • Divide the 25 litres by the time taken to refill. If it takes a minute to refill, then the flow rate is 25 litres/minute.
  • If the flow rate measured is less than required for your herd, your water supply system needs to be improved. Farmers are advised to check the flow rate of troughs around the farm to ensure cows are getting enough water.

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