Water supply for dairy cattle: Understanding drinking behaviour to improve water access in production systems

The importance of providing dairy cows with adequate access to drinking water is well established, given its critical role in both animal welfare and productivity. Water intake is closely linked to milk yield and is influenced by environmental factors such as ambient temperature. Consequently, water availability and dairy cow requirements will be significantly affected under a climate change scenario, as rising temperatures will require a greater cows’ water consumption to minimise heat stress both at pasture and housed indoor. This situation is likely to be aggravated as cows on pasture-based systems and those in indoor systems increase competitive interactions at the water trough at high ambient temperature. As the value of a resource increases, more competition among animals can be expected. These challenges highlight the urgent need to evaluate and improve current practices surrounding water provision. This presentation will review current knowledge on best practices for providing water to dairy cows, what we have learned from studying drinking behaviour and identify key areas for research based on expert and dairy farmer opinion.