Frost-free drinking water supply on organic cattle farms

Frost protection systems recommended for stables and cabins

In stables, the easiest solution once and for all is to invest in a frost protection system consisting of a circulation pump and thermostat. The pump and thermostat keep the water tempered and moving all the way to drinking vessels or water cups. If there are service pipes with stagnant water that can freeze, frost protection cables are laid around or pushed into the water pipes.

Frost-free drinking cups with built-in heaters are suitable for a circulating heating system. In dairy barns, it will rarely be necessary to frost-proof the water trough itself, as the relatively high water intake of dairy cows ensures that new water is continuously added to the water trough.

In cabins and the like, where the water supply often consists of drinking cups, water pipes and hoses can be frost-protected by wrapping frost protection cables around them, and the use of frost-protected drinking cups is recommended.

Outdoor areas - power and water supply is crucial

Consider whether the water supply should be drinking cups or drinking vessels/troughs. It depends on what options are available for power and water supply.

The solution when you have both water and power in the field

A heated drinking cup and frost protection cables around water pipes is the best solution if there is a possibility to draw both water and electricity in the field.

There are two possible solutions when you only have water in the field

A frost-free insulated water trough, where the water supply comes from a frost-free depth up under the trough. A float valve ensures that the water in the trough is always ground-warmed at around 6ºC. The consumption of water ensures that new soil-warm water is added and keeps the trough frost-free. When the animals drink, they push a ball aside. When the animals finish drinking and leave the trough, the ball automatically closes the drinking opening. The system is not recommended for high-yielding dairy cows as they may not drink enough water.

Drinking cups or dispensers that are kept frost-free with a self-emptying valve are another solution that can be used if there is only water and no power to the field. When the drinking cup or dispenser is not in use, the valve and riser are emptied of water that could otherwise freeze. The system is frost-proof as long as the water pipe supplying the dispenser is at a frost-free depth. The valve is mounted in a well that is buried to a frost-free depth.

The solution when you only have power in the field

A frost-free water trough with thermostat is the solution if there is power but no water in the field. It needs to be filled with water manually, but regulates the temperature itself so the water doesn't freeze.

Tips for frost protection of supply lines

Always bury the supply line with water to the water trough/water cup at a minimum depth of 1.2 metres to keep the water frost-free. Deep bedding can also be used as insulation material, where the water supply line is routed under the bottom of the deep bedding. Another option is to lay insulated heating pipes parallel to the water pipes to keep the water frost-free. A heating wire wrapped around the water pipe, which is led up an insulated pipe to the water cup, can prevent the water from freezing in that zone.