- Made in North Devon since 1973
- BSI Kitemark ready-mixed concrete
- Manufactured to BS EN 14992
- UK-wide & European delivery
Agricultural · dairy · beef · pasture
Cattle Drinkers.
Cold winters. Warm water. Healthy intake.
Frost-protected precast cattle drinkers from 50L calf-pen size up to 1500L bulk reservoir. Insulated variants with buried armoured supply for out-wintering pads and exposed sites. Ball-cock fed (Jobe, Fullwood, Hudson), easy-clean drain bung. Sized to AHDB Dairy guidance — 1 drinking space per 10 cows, 100mm (4in) of trough per cow.
A dairy cow drinks 100 litres (22 UK gal) a day in milk. If she cannot get to fresh water, yield drops within 24 hours. The drinker matters more than most farm equipment twice the price.
From cubicle-row passage drinkers to bulk pasture reservoirs on Welsh hill farms — cast in C40/50 concrete to BS 5502-22 at our Holsworthy yard. Catalogue sizes ex-stock; bespoke 3-4 weeks.
- · 50L – 1500L
- · Frost-protected option
- · Ball-cock fed
- · AHDB sized
- · Easy-clean drain
- · Ex-stock catalogue
Photo needed
Hero — Holstein cow drinking from 1300mm (4ft3in) double drinker in cubicle passage, ball-cock pocket and side wall visible
Specification
Capacities, sizes and supply options.
Seven catalogue sizes cover almost every situation from calf pens to suckler-cow paddocks. Bespoke lengths and twin / triple valve options quoted on application.
| Variant | Size | Supply | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calf drinker · 50L (11 UK gal) | 600 × 400 × 350mm (2ft × 1ft4in × 1ft2in) | Single ball-cock, mains fed | Calf pens, weaned-group accommodation |
| Single drinker · 200L (44 UK gal) | 900 × 600 × 500mm (3ft × 2ft × 1ft8in) | Single ball-cock, mains fed | Small group, youngstock pens |
| Double drinker · 400L (88 UK gal) | 1300 × 600 × 500mm (4ft3in × 2ft × 1ft8in) | Twin ball-cock, mains fed | Cubicle row drinker, dairy passages |
| Field drinker · 600L (132 UK gal) | 1800 × 800 × 500mm (5ft11in × 2ft8in × 1ft8in) | Ball-cock + service-pipe insulation | Pasture, mob grazing, paddock systems |
| Insulated frost-protected · 800L (176 UK gal) | 2000 × 800 × 600mm (6ft7in × 2ft8in × 2ft) | Insulated jacket + buried supply | Out-wintering pads, exposed sites |
| Long-trough · 1200L (264 UK gal) | 3000 × 800 × 600mm (9ft10in × 2ft8in × 2ft) | Twin ball-cock, mains fed | Large herd, drink-through passages |
| Bulk reservoir · 1500L (330 UK gal) | 3600 × 900 × 700mm (11ft10in × 3ft × 2ft4in) | Float valve + remote tank link | Yards, finishing units, store cattle |
Drinkers supplied with ball-cock pocket and stainless drain bung as standard. Valve and armoured supply pipe specified separately — we can supply Jobe / Fullwood valve packs direct from the yard.
Size to AHDB Dairy guidance — one drinking space per 10 cows, 100mm (4in) trough length per cow drinking simultaneously, 10 litres (2.2 UK gal) per cow per day plus summer surge.
Drinker library
Catalogue drinkers and field installations.
Photo plates being commissioned — placeholder shot briefs below.
Photo needed
Small calf drinker installed in straw-bedded pen, low rim suitable for young calves
Photo needed
Single drinker on cubicle passage wall, ball-cock pocket visible
Photo needed
1300mm (4ft3in) twin-valve drinker in dairy cubicle row, two cows drinking
Photo needed
Field drinker on prepared concrete pad in pasture with mob-grazing fence behind
Photo needed
Insulated drinker on out-wintering pad with PIR jacket and buried supply
Photo needed
Long trough drinker in beef finishing yard serving 30+ cattle
Photo needed
Close-up of stainless drain bung at low point of drinker — clean access
Photo needed
Largest reservoir drinker on yard, twin float valves, mains fed
Where they go
Common applications.
From a calf pen on a Devon dairy to a 1500L (330 UK gal) pasture reservoir on a Welsh hill farm — the precast drinker outlasts plastic by twenty years and outlasts steel in a wet field by ten.
- · Cubicle-row drinkers in dairy parlours and loose housing
- · Out-wintering pads with frost-protection requirement
- · Pasture and mob-grazing paddock systems
- · Calf-rearing accommodation with low-rim drinkers
- · Beef finishing yards and store cattle housing
- · Sheep-handling and shearing-yard drinkers
- · Suckler cow paddocks with high winter exposure
Standards & references
Cast to current code.
- BS 5502-22:2003
- Buildings and structures for agriculture — cattle housing fittings.
- BS 8500-1:2023
- Concrete specification — C40/50, exposure XC4 / XF1 for outdoor drinkers.
- BS EN 13369
- Common rules for precast concrete products — Factory Production Control.
- AHDB Dairy
- Drinking-space sizing — 1 per 10 cows, 100mm/cow (4in/cow), 10L/cow/day (2.2 UK gal/cow/day) plus surge.
- Red Tractor Dairy
- Hygiene — weekly clean minimum, fresh-water access at all times.
Configure your drinker order
Tell us herd size, location and whether you need frost-protection — we will quote and dispatch from stock.
Related products
Often ordered alongside.
Common questions
What stockmen ask.
Five questions we answer most weeks. If yours is not here, ring the yard.
Are these frost-protected? +
Standard precast drinkers are not specifically frost-protected — they rely on cattle drinking frequently to keep the water turning over. Our insulated variants have a closed-cell PIR jacket cast into the wall and a buried armoured supply pipe, and they will keep flowing through a typical UK winter. For exposed Welsh hill or Scottish out-wintering sites we add a thermostat-controlled trace heater on the supply.
How is water supplied? +
Mains-fed via a heavy-duty Jobe or Fullwood ball-cock — same valves used across the British dairy industry, easy to source spares for. The valve is cast into a recessed pocket on the back wall so cattle cannot get at it. Larger drinkers run twin valves so flow keeps up with herd demand. Field drinkers can also be float-valve fed from a remote tank where mains pressure is unreliable.
How big a herd does each drinker serve? +
AHDB Dairy guidance is one drinking space per 10 cows for fresh-water access in housing, with 100mm (4in) trough length per cow drinking simultaneously. So a 1300mm (4ft3in) twin-valve double drinker serves about 13 cows. For pasture, the rule is 10 litres (2.2 UK gal) per cow per day plus surge capacity — a 600L (132 UK gal) field drinker comfortably handles 40 cows in summer.
Do they have to be cleaned? +
Yes — water hygiene affects intake and yield. Our drinkers have a stainless drain bung at the lowest point so you can pull, scrub and refill in five minutes. Red Tractor Dairy Standards expect a weekly clean as a minimum; in summer with algae you may want to do it twice. The internal corners are radiused for easy brushing.
What is the lead time? +
Catalogue drinkers ship from stock at the Holsworthy yard in 1-2 weeks during quiet months and 2-3 weeks in spring and autumn turnout season. Insulated variants and bespoke long-troughs run 3-4 weeks. We deliver UK-wide on flatbed with HIAB offload up to 12 tonnes.
How would you like it?
Supply-only or fitted — Cattle Drinkers
Supply only
Per-unit / per-metre supply
Lead time: 1–3 weeks catalogue
- Cast drinker with ball-cock pocket and drain
- Optional valve pack (Jobe / Fullwood / Hudson)
- BS 5502-22 / BS 8500-1 documentation
- Delivery on flatbed with HIAB up to 12 tonnes (about 26,450 lb)
- Plumbing connection and supply pipework
- Concrete pad / base preparation
Fitted (supply + install)
Supply + install crew
Lead time: 2–4 weeks (incl. site slot)
- Everything in supply only
- Set on prepared pad and connect to mains
- Valve set, fill test, leak check
- Mains-water main run and metering
- Trace heating commissioning (if specified)
. Catalogue drinkers ex-stock; bespoke long-troughs and frost-protected runs 3-4 weeks.
Ready to spec it?
Herd size, location and frost-protection requirement — we will quote the same day.