Effect of Climatic Condition, Type of Trough and Water Cleanliness on Drinking Behavior in Dairy Cows.

Increasing ambient temperatures lead to higher water intake and higher risks of microbial growth in cattle troughs. This study aims to analyze drinking water quality and dairy cows' drinking behavior ( = 8081 drinking episodes) on a commercial farm with 135 and 144 lactating cows in two climatic conditions, considering trough type and cleanliness, respectively. Daily video recording was conducted at two trough types (two open troughs, 70 L; two-valve troughs, variable volume of 5-15 L) in the first two hours after feeding ( = 60 days in total) under cold (December 2019-February 2020) and warm ambient temperatures (September 2021).