Placement of the drinking bowls in the stable

Tips for drinking bowls in stables

• There should be at least 60 cm of space above the drinking trough. This allows the animals to drink easily and quickly and minimises water spillage.
• The animals should have constant access to water in order to positively influence their performance and growth.
• Do not install the drinking bowl next to the feeding station. There is a risk of the feed becoming soaked or the drinking trough becoming soiled with feed residues.
• The position of the drinking bowls should be based on the behaviour of the animals and placed along the work aisles to make cleaning and checking the drinking bowls easier.
• When keeping herds, at least two water points must be installed separately from each other. This is the only way lower-ranking animals can drink undisturbed. Furthermore, drinking troughs should not be placed in corners or dead ends, but in open areas to prevent contact between higher-ranking and lower-ranking animals and to allow them to escape.

A metal guard can be fitted around the trough if the horse bangs its head or stamps a lot to protect the animal and trough from damage. In foal rearing stalls, a maximum distance of 5 cm should be maintained between the protective bar and the drinker so that the foals do not get their legs trapped.

• The distance between the troughs should not exceed 15 metres, otherwise the water intake will decrease.
• In narrow aisles, space-saving single/double trough drinkers should preferably be used.
• Drinking bowls with a high flow rate and large basin volume should be installed directly after the milking area in order to satisfy the high water requirements of the dairy cows. Trough drinkers are recommended here.
• For calves, drinkers with a constant water level should be used and they should be adjusted to their body height.

1. Feed alley
   
2. Boxes
3. Single box
4. Milking robot
5. Waiting stall (optional)
6. Milking parlour

• The animals should be given constant access to water in order to positively influence their performance and growth.
• At least two water stations should be installed separately from each other. This is the only way lower-ranking animals can drink undisturbed. Furthermore, drinking bowls should not be placed in corners, dead ends or narrow walkways, but in open areas to avoid contact between higher-ranking and lower-ranking animals and to allow them to escape.
• Do not necessarily place drinking troughs in shady areas. In hot temperatures, the animals seek the cooler shade. If a drinking trough is placed there, the animals will crowd around the trough and dominant animals can claim the trough for themselves. It is advisable to install the drinking bowl near a shaded resting area.
• In general, the drinking troughs should be slightly larger to ensure a good supply and prevent long waiting times and crowding.
• It is recommended that grazing troughs are fixed to the ground so that the animals cannot move them.
• The troughs should be cleaned and emptied before winter.