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Livestock water requirement calculator
Hot cows drink a lot more. East Texas August is not the 40°F column.
Worked example: lactating herd and a tank
20 lactating cows at 90°F is 22 gal per head on the table, so 440 gal/day. Three days of storage is a 1,320 gal tank planning number. Example only — punch your head count and temp in the calculator.
Same 20 cows at 40°F is 11.4 gal per head and 228 gal/day. That is why an August afternoon is not the winter column.
East Texas heat
Pick a temperature the cattle actually feel in the afternoon, not the cool-weather column. On this place that is the hot end of the chart. Humidity and a dry ration move intake. These are planning gallons, not a well-permit filing.
Which class to pick
A lactating cow is not a dry cow. Horses and donkeys have their own rows — typical extension ranges, not the NDSU cattle table. Sheep, goats, and laying hens are in the picker for a mixed place. Head pressure on the grass is the stocking rate calculator. Volume in the dug pond is pond acre-feet. Winter feed, which also drives how much they drink, is the hay calculator.
Questions
How much water does a cow drink per day?
It depends on class and air temperature. This calculator uses NDSU AS1783-style cattle gallons by temp. Example: a lactating cow near 90°F is about 22 gallons per head per day in the table — punch your temp and head count for a herd total.
How do I size a livestock water tank?
Enter Head, Air temp, and Tank days of storage. The tool multiplies daily herd use by days (default often 3) so you get a planning tank volume in gallons.
Why does temperature change the answer so much?
Hot cattle drink more. East Texas August is not the 40°F column — set temp to what the animals actually feel.
Does this work for horses and donkeys?
Yes — pick Horse or Donkey in Class. Those rows use typical extension-style ranges (not the NDSU cattle table).
Is this a well permit or engineering design?
No. Planning gallons only. Humidity, diet, and wet feed change intake. Not a well-permit filing.
What about sheep, goats, or hens?
Those classes are in the picker for mixed livestock places — same temp, head, and tank-days flow.
Planning only. Cattle gallons follow NDSU AS1783 by temperature. Horses/donkeys/hens are typical extension ranges. Humidity and diet move this. Not a well-permit filing.
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