Abstract
This paper describes the impact on water intake and milk yield of supplemental warmed water for dairy cows in winter. Twenty four Holstein cows were used in a crossover design with two supplied water treatments: water warmed to 35 °C and water of below 10 °C as a control. The mass of water intake increased by 9.9 % and milk yield increased by 3.8 % by supplying warmed compared with cold water (p < 0.01) without increasing feed intake or altering milk components. Moreover, cold-water supplement had a water-intake frequency of 2.1 times and a duration of water-intake 2.4 times that for warmed-water (p < 0.01). Therefore, the warm-water supplement increased water intake within a short period and reduced the intake time, and resulted in higher milk yield without increased feed intake.
