Drinkers for cattle (cows) play an important role in the full work of private farms. This is due to the fact that the uninterrupted supply of drinking water directly affects the quality of beef and milk produced by cattle. Drinking equipment can be purchased at specialized outlets or try to build by yourself, following the simple rules outlined below.
General requirements for drinking water for cattle
For proper construction of the drinking structure, it is necessary to take into account the age and approximate water consumption rate for each cow. First of all, the direction of production is considered.
Meat-milk and dairy individuals during lactation prepare drinking containers containing about 150 liters of drink, based on a simple scheme: more than 4 liters of water are required to produce 1 liter of milk. 
For animals of meat, young and bull-breeding, the rate of water is calculated differently:
- Calves from birth to six months need 15-20 liters of water per day. Based on this age category, the farmer should pay the most attention to the quality and temperature of the supplied liquid, as well as the strength of the drinking equipment;
- Capacities for feeding calves from six months to a year should contain at least 30 liters of clean water per individual. It is this amount that is optimal for the full development of still weak young animals;
- Nervolzhavshim chicks and young bulls suitable drinkers containing from 40 to 50 liters. (Category from 1 year and older);
- The daily rate of pure liquid for meat cows and bulls manufacturers is 60-70 liters.
Did you know? During its life, a cow is able to give about 200 thousand glasses of milk. Only 60 cows can produce a ton of milk in 1 day. But the world record of dairy productivity belongs to the Cuban cows - in just 365 days, she gave 27.672 liters of healthy product.
Types of drinkers
In total there are 2 types of drinkers - individual (calculated on one animal) and group (on the whole herd).
Customized
Personal automatic designs, as a rule, are made independently - it significantly saves financial expenses. Their main purpose is the individual feeding of each cow, which spends most of the time in the stall, on a leash. 
Group
Group drinkers are suitable for free-range cows. They are able to provide clean water to several individuals at once. Equipment is not only stationary, but also mobile. The latter is used in the process of walking (grazing) animals.
Learn how to graze a cow in a pasture.
Classification of automatic drinkers for cows from manufacturers
Today, the farmer’s market offers a wide range of various auto-drinkers suitable for long-term use in large-scale livestock production and on small private farms.
Each type is convenient in its own way, but the most popular and effective are valve-float, teat and pan-type, produced by well-known agricultural producers: USS AGRO, AiS AGRO, Agropromtechnika LLC.
Learn how to build a barn.Before using a special automatic inventory, a novice farmer can try other well-known and lightweight options, for example: a trough with a recruited bucket, a metal bath or a large galvanized container. Such tanks are very easy to install, inexpensive and do not provide for independent production.
However, this equipment has a couple of significant drawbacks:
- lack of heating in winter;
- It is required manually and in time to add water to animals.
Valve-float drink
In order for water to flow evenly into personal or group drinking equipment, a valve-float-type fluid supply system is installed in it:
- The principle of operation of the float system can be compared with the work of the toilet tank. A float is installed in the central tank with accumulated water, which regulates the correct water level. From the central tank tubes go to other drinking tanks. In the process of water consumption, its level in the tank is reduced, which leads to the omission of the float and automatic replenishment of tap water in the drinking trough;
- The valve system also requires a water connection. The difference lies in the fact that the cows themselves regulate the water level by pressing the special valve when drinking the muzzle.
Important! Many farmers do not recommend using the valve method due to frequent damage to the equipment by animals in the process of drinking, which leads to significant repair and restoration costs.
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Cup
Cup drinkers are arranged in almost the same way as the valve. They are adjusted to the required amount of liquid in the bowl. When lowering the bowl, the valve is activated and completely blocks the flow of water.
As it decreases, the adjusted strut racks raise the movable part along with the shutter valve, and water gradually fills the bowl. After the system is installed, attached cattle must be specially trained to drink water from bowls.
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Nipple Drinkers
Nipple products are used for feeding young calves. The assembly includes a steel body, a nipple valve nipple and a special seal. In the upper hull there is a mechanism connecting with the water pipe.
The advantage of the nipple drinkers is that they are hygienic, require less maintenance and are more reliable in operation, compared to valve or cup devices. The disadvantage is that it is almost impossible to make a nipple nipple yourself; many farmers buy it already in finished form. 
What can be done
For self-manufacturing drinkers suitable only the most durable and safe for animals material. To make the right decision and decide, you need to take into account all the pros and cons of each:
- metal (galvanized iron or stainless steel). The metal drinkers are strong enough, however, in the event of an impact, they may be slightly deformed. The metal construction can be easily washed and disinfected;
- tree - environmentally friendly and reliable material that is used for drinking only after thorough cleaning and coating with non-toxic special agent. For too long use, wood is not suitable - gradually, the equipment may dampen and become covered with mold;
- plastic is not only the most profitable, but also the most popular and practical among many farmers. Products serve for a long time and are well cleaned when necessary;
- brick construction, like plastic, suitable for long-term use, but only after cleaning and plastering the inside.
How to make levelers for cows with their own hands
Independent production of level drinkers will help not only save the budget, but also equip the barn in accordance with the needs of the owner, the farm and the cows contained.
Familiarize yourself with udder diseases in cows, diseases of hoofs in cows.
Design and dimensions
The process of making the drinking system itself is not difficult if the farmer learns the features of the structures and their basic principle of operation. The basic idea is to build a separate tank with valve-float-adjusted water supply system, which regulates the presence of fluid and its level in all drinking bowls. As a result, the fluid passes through the gutters made of wood, brick or concrete.
Scheme of drinking system: 
The optimal parameters for adult cow drinkers are 2255х700х1010, volume - 140 liters. Weight - up to 150 kg. The length may vary depending on the age category of animals (1500mm-2000mm).
It is also important to consider such points:
- the upper side of the drinking container should be at least 8 cm away from the floor so that the animals do not touch the edges of the trough with a throat and do not bend their neck much while drinking;
- with the loose housing method, the water tank should be located no more than 15 m from the feeders;
- so that the cows do not gather in a tight line near the drinkers, they must be placed at different ends of the barn for their calculation - 25 individuals per container at a filling rate of 15 liters per minute.
Did you know? The image of a cow can be seen on the state symbols of Andorra, Nepal and several other countries. In India, the animal is sacred and symbolizes prosperity, fruitful abundance and fecundity of livestock. In the Hurrian mythology, the God of thunder went on two cows - Urry (morning) and Surry (evening).
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Material and tools
Materials for drinking containers should be selected based on the size of the barn, the number of livestock and personal preferences.
As noted above, it can be:
- metal;
- tree;
- plastic;
- brick.
Learn how to make ventilation in the barn.Required tools for assembling the drinking structure:
- drill;
- brick;
- construction ruler;
- marker;
- hammer;
- sand;
- saw;
- cement;
- welding machine;
- profile tube.
Manufacturing steps
Metal drinking bowl:
- Weld or rivet a long rectangular iron box;
- At the very end, put a faucet or a folding wall (to drain the remaining water).
Important! In order to make the folding wall as dense as possible and hermetically sealed, a rubber seal is used in the manufacturing process.From wooden boards:
- Build the necessary size of the capacity of the boards;
- Cover the remaining gaps with resin;
- To purchase a plastic trough of rectangular section (from 30 cm);
- Put the tank on the iron "legs."
- Lay out the capacity of bricks;
- Plaster inside and sides with non-toxic material.
- Wash, dry and air the gas cylinder (per 100 liters) thoroughly in air;
- Make 4 holes in the gutter: for the drain, for the pipe that conducts the water, for the discharge of the water into the gutter and necessarily for the heater;
- Install a valve with a float in the tank.
How can I make heating for drinkers
In order to prevent the development of colds in a herd of cows, heating elements should be pre-installed in the drinking bowls, which will constantly maintain the temperature of the water consumed at the required level (12-20 ° C). As a rule, farmers use two types of heating: individual or common.
Individual (tubular electric heaters) are efficient and easy to use, but they cost a lot of money. General (installation of central heating) are ideal for farms with automated watering systems. When the central heating is connected, the water in the tank is supplied already warm, which completely solves the problem of timely heating.
Did you know? Recently in Belarus began to make drinkers of food polyethylene of low pressure, with a volume of liquid from 90 to 290 liters. The water in them will not be able to freeze even in severe frost, since the bottom of these tanks is heated independently.
How to install an ice-free cock in the barn: video Taking the necessary materials, desire and patience as a basis, it is quite possible to make quality drinking bowls for domestic cows on their own, having spent a minimum of physical effort and money in the process.
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