Add garden, animal and outdoor lines to the budget
Outdoor water often dwarfs indoor use, so it must be in the budget from day one. US EPA reports outdoor use is about 30 percent of household use nationally, and higher in dry regions.
How
- Add a line per animal type. University of Maine Extension gives roughly 7.5 to 15 L (2 to 4 US gallons) per head per day for goats and sheep, 38 to 45 L (10 to 12 gal) for horses, 45 to 57 L (12 to 15 gal) for beef cattle and dry dairy cows, about 150 L (40 gal) for a lactating dairy cow, and about 15 L (4 gal) for pigs.
- For laying hens, Ontario's livestock water tables give about 180 to 320 L per 1,000 birds per day (roughly 0.25 L per hen on average), rising with heat and egg production.
- Raise animal figures for hot weather. NDSU tables show intake rising sharply with temperature: a mature bull drinks about 33 L (8.7 gal) at 4 C (40 F) but about 78 L (20.6 gal) at 32 C (90 F).
- Add a garden and orchard line using the irrigation plan from the food module. Use a separate figure for the peak month, because irrigation demand peaks exactly when rain is lowest in most climates.
- Add a line for cleaning tools, vehicles and animal housing.
- Do not mix the fire reserve into daily demand. It is a locked volume you never draw down (see the fire reserve step).
- Total everything as a daily figure for each month of the year. A monthly table is what the storage and drought steps need.
Do these first
Sources
- How We Use Water. US EPA WaterSense, accessed 2026-11
- Lesson 7: Livestock Water Supply. University of Maine Cooperative Extension, accessed 2026-11
- Livestock Water Requirements. North Dakota State University Extension, accessed 2026-11
- Water requirements of livestock. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (Canada), accessed 2026-11