# Sheep, heat and drinking water temperature



## Stephine (Jun 10, 2022)

It’s our first hot day this summer and I am wondering about the temperature of the sheep’s drinking water. Should it be cool or is warmish ok? I googled and it’s mostly about warming water in the winter, except one study that found that in the heat, sheep prefer drinking warm or even hot water. 
What do you do? 
I have a short, white, drinking water hose that’s mostly in the shade except for the first few feet from the faucet, connected to a smallish, self filling waterer. I went out and checked their water a little while ago and it was lukewarm. Dumped out the bowl and it refilled with cool water, so the hose must be staying reasonably coolish; the water in the drinker warms up though (it’s in the shade), since it only refills a bit at a time after each sip they take. I am wondering if I should add a larger trough and handfill that one, since it should stay cool longer. Or are they actually better off with warm water like that study seems to show? 
What do you think? 
(it’s 96F right now, by the way, and should go up to 100F still today. Hottest days here have been 110-116)


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## secuono (Jun 10, 2022)

I refill when low/empty. It gets hot during the day, but they hide most of the time. Seem to drink it over night. 🤷🏽‍♀️


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## Stephine (Jun 10, 2022)

secuono said:


> I refill when low/empty. It gets hot during the day, but they hide most of the time. Seem to drink it over night. 🤷🏽‍♀️


That sounds easy! And like they don’t mind drinking warmish water, right? How hot does it get where you are?


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## Baymule (Jun 10, 2022)

I fill buckets in the morning, they are in the shade. I top them off in the evening. My sheep love cool to cold fresh water. They don't like warm to hot water. They will crowd around while I'm filling the buckets. I always let the hose run if the water is hot.


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