Eddie Fitzpatrick runs a herd of 140 dairy cows in Mullinavat, Co. Kilkenny, with a grazing platform consisting of 48ac, along with additional acres which are used for cattle, silage and maize.
The herd is milked in a herringbone parlour and, last year, produced 530kg milk solids with a somatic cell count (SCC) at 60,000 cells/ml.
Like many farmers after the drought of 2018, Eddie, armed with the knowledge that quality water is essential to herd health and animal performance, decided it was time to install a new water system on his farm.
Poor water infrastructure can be costly; a 25% restriction in water intake drops milk yield on average 1/L a day.
“We upgraded the system from 0.45-0.5in to an 1in and we put in bigger concrete troughs, from 75 gallons up to 300 gallons,” explained Eddie.
Trough capacity
Trough capacity is a key factor when updating water infrastructure. In dry conditions, capacity requirements could be almost doubled.
On-farm water consumption records show that in drought conditions cows can consume up to 120L/day.
“It was really important for us to upgrade the water infrastructure because in the first hour after milking, the cows need a lot of water and with the larger troughs and pipes we have no issue anymore,” the Kilkenny farmer added.
Dairy cows in milk need 100-120L/day. When grass dry matter (DM) is high, in-milk cows may have to drink over 80% of their water requirement (the balance may be met from forage).
Improved herd performance
In a relatively short period of time after installation, Eddie saw a positive result in herd performance.
The upgrade has been pivotal when it comes to animal health as poor water quality can effect animal health or discourage drinking and therefore impact production.
“I would recommend upgrading the farm water system to any other farmer,” he said.
What makes a good water system?
Water makes up 70% of the body and 87% of milk. It also regulates body temperature and is vital for organ functions such as digestion; waste removal; and the absorption of nutrients.
“Some key requirements when thinking about a good water infrastructure system are accessibility, flow rate and trough capacity,” explained Glanbia ruminant business manager, Niamh Bambrick.
Dairy cows, in-milk, tend to drink 30-50% of their water requirement (100-120L) within one to three hours of milking.
On that basis, a fill rate of 2,500L/hour will be required to meet the herd’s requirement in the first hour after milking.
Suckler cows typically drink in the range of 43-65L and one-to-two-year-old beef heifers drink 35-56L.
It is always best to have large trough capacities: 15 gallons or 68L/cow in the herd is recommended, as cows tend to drink in groups.
Large trough capacity can compensate somewhat for flow rate. Trough calculations should consider the 15 gallons trough capacity/cow recommendation, and 10% of herd should be able to drink simultaneously.
Upgrading to larger troughs is essential in order to meet the requirement of your herd along with ensuring you have multiple water points available on farm.
Remember: Daily water requirements can be affected by dietary dry matter, environmental and management factors, air temperature, relative humidity, the level of animal exertion and milk output.
Forage or feed with high moisture content decreases the quantity of drinking water required.
Water quality
The quality of the water, which includes temperature, salinity and impurities affecting taste and odour, will also have an effect on consumption rates.
Foul odours or tastes, for example, will discourage animals from drinking and depress production. Depending on the cause, poor water quality can also affect herd health.
Contamination of water troughs by dust, spilled feed, and faecal matter can lead to the growth of slime.
Eventually, slime-forming organisms die and decay – creating foul odour and/or taste.
Trough location
When designing, re-designing or updating paddocks, water trough placement is a consideration that should be at the forefront.
In an ideal situation, the water troughs should be located in the middle of the paddock to allow the cow’s access water from all sides, while also allowing for key strategic grazing mechanisms during the shoulders of the year.
It is a common trend for many dairy farms to see a water trough located at the entrance to the paddock, or beside the fence.
This ultimately increases the amount of walking cows have to access water, which can also increase the amount of damage occurring during difficult grazing conditions.
Central trough placement will allow for strip grazing/back fencing and allocation grazing.
Glanbia: Great value water solutions
Through their ‘WaterWork’s’ campaign, Glanbia Ireland has a number of great value products available.
Offers are available until the August 1, both instore and online at GlanbiaConnect.com.
For further advice or information on your farm’s water infrastructure, contact your Glanbia Ireland representative and drop into your local branch.
Visit GlanbiaConnect.com to view the full range of Great Value WaterWork’s products on offer.
