Estimate daily and period drinking-water demand for a dairy herd using cow count, average milk production, temperature, and a safety allowance. The model provides a transparent planning estimate for trough capacity and water-supply checks.
Percent inputs are divided by 100 in the calculation. Unit conversions are shown in the results where applicable.
The estimate is a planning model that increases water demand with milk production and warm weather. Actual intake varies with ration moisture, humidity, water temperature, and animal health.
This is not a veterinary standard. Confirm capacity with local dairy guidance and measured herd consumption, and provide unrestricted access to clean water.
For 150 cows producing 70 lb/day at 75°F with a 15% allowance, estimated supply demand is about 7,374 gallons/day and 51,621 gallons for seven days.
Yes, as a scenario estimate. Replace the defaults with measured operating data and keep a separate contingency for variability.
Calculate shorter periods with consistent assumptions, then add the period results. This is more reliable than using one blended value.
Use the most likely measured value for the base case, then recalculate with conservative and optimistic assumptions to see the planning range.
Equipment performance, biological variation, environmental conditions, measurement error, and downtime can all move the actual result.
No. The calculation runs in your browser and this page does not need to send the entered values to a server.
| Input | Unit | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Lactating cows | cows | Used in the dairy herd water requirement estimate |
| Milk per cow per day | lb | Used in the dairy herd water requirement estimate |
| Average daily temperature | °F | Used in the dairy herd water requirement estimate |
| Supply safety allowance | % | Used in the dairy herd water requirement estimate |
| Planning period | days | Used in the dairy herd water requirement estimate |