thristy cattle

[isabelle]

Can anybody advise me roughly how much a non short beef Dexter drinks in a day/week. We are having to transport our water to the summer field and I wondered how big a bowser I will need. I just need a rough estimate.
Thanks
Isabelle

[Duncan MacIntyre]

Isabelle, there was a post on here recently about this, can't remember the title. Cattle will drink a very variable amount depending on water content and amount of food, weather including actual rain but also the relative humidity. I think the answer to how much to carry is "not too much and nto too little". I usually keep about half a dozen yearlings in a dry field of about 2.5 acres all summer, the water is in an old bath and I top it up from 5 gallon drums as needed, sometimes needs two a day and other times can go for a week with none.

Duncan

[isabelle]

Thanks
I am looking at an IBC a week for 7 so that should be okay.
I'll have to see.
isabelle

[fdb]

Hi Isabelle,

I have 9 dexters out on some nice grass but no shade (will move to woodland in June for shade). They drank a 1000 litre tank in 5 days. In woodland the 12 white parks we had drank a 1000 litre tank in 2 weeks due to the shade.

[clacko]

i would say as much as your vehicle will pull and then use a large detachable trough that will hold enough water to last them while you take bowser home to refill and take bowser back the next day, worked for us but soon connected to mains. water intake as said above will vary hugely with weather and morning/evening dew. a 1000ltr ibc will weigh 1 tonne when full 1 ltr water = 1kg hope this helps. paul

[isabelle]

Thank you to all.