Preparing your farm and livestock for winter isn’t just about focusing on the direct effects of winter storms and extreme temperatures. While it’s essential to make sure your herd has proper shelter from cold weather to prevent injuries, frostbite, and illness, there are other steps you can take to keep your cows healthy.
It’s easy to overlook hydration during winter, but outfitting your farm with effective cow drinking systems is vital to keeping your herd in prime health.
Winter Hydration for Cattle
Hydration is probably one of your top priorities during the warm summer months, but it’s important year-round. Additionally, the cold season comes with several unique herd hydration challenges to be aware of, including:
- Water Amount: livestock water intake can increase in winter, as cows often need more water than usual because their bodies use it to stay warm
- Freezing: winter cow hydration can be made difficult by a lack of available water, as water troughs and lines can easily become frozen, disrupting the herd’s access to its water supply
Qualities of Great Cattle Drinking Systems
To prevent hydration issues for cattle, it’s important to have the best drinking systems possible in winter. Pay attention to these features when selecting a drinking system for your cattle.
Insulation
Insulation is an important quality of drinking systems for your cows. Insulation helps keep warmth in and block cold to prevent water from freezing when temperatures drop.
Thermostat
The best cattle drinking systems come with features that let you control water temperature. A thermostat is a great way to achieve this. When a drinking system can be thermostatically controlled, you can prevent freezing and stay at an optimal drinking temperature.
Energy Use
Some types of drinking systems, like concrete units, require very large amounts of energy to operate and regulate in winter. Look for energy-efficient hydration systems that are less of a drain on power and resources.
Maintaining Herd Hydration with Ritchie Drinking Systems
Ritchie Drinking Systems are a great choice because you won’t have to worry about them during cold weather. If you’ve been searching for systems with qualities like durable insulation, thermostatic-control, and energy-efficiency, Ritchie Drinking Systems will work for you.
Aside from being easy to keep clean and tough enough to withstand farm life, these systems are ideal for keeping up with winter cattle hydration. They make sure your herd always has plenty of water, and work to ensure the water supply doesn’t freeze.
Pick the Right Cow Drinking System
At the end of the day, the best drinking system is the one that works for the needs of your farm and livestock. The experts at Carlson Wholesale can give you advice on which Ritchie Drinking Systems are right for you. Contact us today to find out how we can help.