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What Size Stock Tank Do You Need? Tank Sizes vs Daily Water Use

Alberta Agriculture daily water figures for horses, cattle and sheep in litres, set against every Tuff Stuff stock tank we carry, from 15 to 180 gal.

What Size Stock Tank Do You Need? Tank Sizes vs Daily Water Use

Picking a stock tank comes down to two numbers: how much water your animals drink in a day, and how often you are willing to refill. This guide puts Alberta's own livestock water figures next to the capacity of every Tuff Stuff tank we carry, so you can do the arithmetic for your horses, cows, calves or sheep before you buy.

How much water do horses and cattle drink a day?

Alberta Agriculture's factsheet Farm Water Supply Requirements (Agdex 716(C01)) gives average daily water use in imperial gallons. Converted to litres (1 imperial gallon = 4.546 L), the livestock lines are:

  • Horses (also bison, mules): 10 gal, about 45 L per head per day
  • Beef cows with calves, 1,300 lb: 12 gal, about 55 L
  • Dry beef cows, 1,300 lb: 10 gal, about 45 L
  • Calves, 250 lb: 2 gal, about 9 L
  • Feeder cattle: 4 gal (18 L) at 550 lb, 7 gal (32 L) at 900 lb, 10 gal (45 L) at 1,250 lb
  • Ewes and does: 2 gal, about 9 L; milking ewes and does 3 gal, about 14 L

Two notes from the same table matter for tank sizing. For hot summer days above 25 °C it says to multiply by 1.5 for cows with calves, dry cows and calves, and by 2 for feeder cattle; the factsheet puts it plainly: "Feeder cattle will drink approximately twice the amount shown in Table 1." It gives no hot-day multiplier for horses. And the factsheet warns that its averages are for planning, not for building a watering system: "Although these average numbers are useful for estimating water use throughout the year, they cannot be used for designing the water supply or pumping system."

Other provinces publish slightly different rule-of-thumb figures; this guide uses Alberta's.

Tuff Stuff stock tank sizes we carry, in litres

Tuff Stuff sizes its tanks in US gallons (1 US gallon = 3.785 L). Here is every Tuff Stuff tank we list, smallest to largest:

The 75 gal square tank and the 85–180 gal oval tanks come with a drain plug, which makes the weekly scrub-out easier. A 3/4" brass tank drain and plug is also listed separately.

What size stock tank for 2 horses?

Using Alberta's figure of about 45 L per horse per day, two horses drink about 91 L on an average day. A full tank therefore holds roughly:

  • 30 gal (114 L): about 1¼ days
  • 50 gal (189 L): about 2 days
  • 110 gal (416 L): about 4½ days

That is arithmetic on an average, not a refill schedule. Real intake varies from day to day and a tank is rarely drunk to the last litre, so check and top up daily whatever size you choose. A bigger tank buys you slack between refills; it does not replace checking it.

How big a stock tank for a cow-calf herd?

Ten cows with calves at the factsheet's 12 imperial gallons each use about 546 L on an average day and, at the 1.5 hot-day multiplier, about 818 L on a day above 25 °C. Even our largest tank, the 180 gal (681 L), holds less than one hot day for that group. Past a handful of head, a tank works best as the drinking point of a supply that refills it — a hose or water line with a float valve — rather than as the whole supply. We carry a Millside float-valve automatic waterer and the Tru-Test WaterPro 2 automatic livestock waterer; check each product's listing for its fittings and set-up.

For calves, sheep and goats the numbers are small (about 9 L a head on the factsheet's averages), and the 15–50 gal oval tanks are easier to keep clean and to tip out than a big tank that sits half-empty.

Keeping a tank open through an Alberta winter

A tank that freezes over holds no water at all. Our guide Heated Water Buckets and Stock Tank De-Icers: Keeping Livestock Water Open Through an Alberta Winter covers the K&H Ultimate Stock Tank De-Icer, floating versus submersible units, wattage and safe set-up. Follow the de-icer manufacturer's instructions for the tank material and size you use.

Where to find them

Every tank above is on our Tanks and troughs page and the Tuff Stuff brand page; de-icers are under Stock tank heaters. Pick up at 4918 50 St, Millet, Alberta, or order online for delivery anywhere in Canada.

Other Tuff Stuff products we list

Besides the tanks above, these are the other Tuff Stuff products on pipestonefarmsupply.ca. Check each product page for size and capacity before you buy.

Buckets, pails and tubs we list

For carrying water and feed between the hydrant and the pen, these are the Little Giant and Tuff Stuff buckets, pails and tubs we list, by size and colour:

Sources: Alberta Agriculture, "Farm Water Supply Requirements", Agdex 716(C01), revised April 2009, Table 1 (average daily water requirements in imperial gallons per day), viewed October 2026. Tank capacities are the listed US-gallon sizes, converted at 3.785 L per US gallon; daily figures converted at 4.546 L per imperial gallon and rounded. This guide is general information; ask your veterinarian about your own animals' needs.