As the snow flies this winter, keeping a herd well-watered gets a bit harder. Power outages, frozen tanks and massive drifts can be roadblocks to a steady water source during cold temperatures. It might be tempting at these times to let animals fend for themselves, after all, snow has water, right?
First, we need to consider how much water animals need. As a rule of thumb, a dry cow or bull needs 1 gallon of water per 100 pounds of body weight on an average day. Growing animals will require more. Lactating animals are usually near the top for need with 2 gallons of water daily per 100 lbs. of body weight.
Often some of an animal’s water comes from its diet, but without fresh forage, almost all water needs must be met elsewhere. This means a cow needs to consume 30-40 lbs. of snow daily to meet its needs. When snow is crusted or trampled, consuming an appropriate amount is even more difficult.
The animal itself must also be considered. Eating snow is a learned behavior and doesn’t just happen overnight. Having an experienced cow in the herd to teach others can help, but animals new to the technique can still take up to a week to learn. Additionally, thin cattle with a body condition score (BCS) of 3 or less should not be forced to depend only on snow. Cattle should have at least a BCS of 4 and should be in good health.
While water demands in the winter may be less than summer, keeping water available can be difficult. Having animals eat snow may be tempting, but requires an experienced herd, plenty of fresh snow and healthy animals. — Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension
