Replacing pig drinking bowls: what should you look for?

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The short answer

At Van Osch B.V., we look at pig drinking bowls as part of the overall housing design. We first establish water demand, the required flow rate for each animal category and the number of animals per drinking point. Only then do we consider installation height and material. According to Varkensloket, one bowl can serve up to thirty pigs, but it can also become a breeding ground for bacteria such as E. coli. Drinking comfort, capacity, hygiene and correct positioning must all work together when choosing the right system.

Key takeaways

• Under RVO animal welfare requirements, pigs over 2 weeks old must have access to sufficient fresh water 24 hours a day. This is the minimum standard your system must always meet.
• Nipple drinker flow rates vary by animal category. According to Varkensartsen, sows need 1.5 to 4.0 litres per minute, weaned piglets need 0.5 to 1.0 litre, and finishing pigs need 1.0 to 1.5 litres.
• Varkensloket recommends setting the bottom edge of a drinking bowl at around 40% of the shoulder height of the smallest animal in the group. Too high, and pigs may bite the rim. Too low, and contamination becomes more likely.
• If you use your own water source, IKB Varken requires an annual chemical and bacteriological water test.
• According to Varkensartsen, a farrowing sow drinks 20 to 30 litres a day, compared with 0.7 to 2.0 litres for a weaned piglet. A single standard solution for the entire barn rarely makes sense.

Why do drinking water system replacements so often fall short?

You replace the bowls in a finishing pig unit. The new stainless steel pig drinking bowls are neatly fitted in exactly the same position as the old ones. Three weeks later, the floor around the bowl is wet again, dirt is building up in the same corner, and your staff are still complaining about cleaning it. Nothing has changed except the invoice.

This is something Van Osch B.V. sees time and again in refurbishment projects: the replacement begins with the component, rather than the system. The bowl is swapped like for like because the mounting holes are already there. That simply carries every old design flaw into the new setup, including an unsuitable height for the current animal category, pipework that restricts flow, or a location where dunging and drinking behaviour overlap.

This is not a minor detail. Drinking water is the least expensive input in a pig unit, yet one of the most important. When flow rate drops, you may not see an immediate change in the animals, but you will see the effects later in growth rates and group uniformity. Replacing pig drinking bowls without reassessing the four key variables, water demand, flow rate, animals per drinking point and height, simply means buying the same old problem all over again.

How much water does a pig need each day?

A pig’s water requirement can vary by a factor of ten or more across its life stages, and that difference shapes the entire drinking water system design.

According to Varkensartsen, a weaned piglet drinks 0.7 to 2.0 litres a day, while a farrowing sow needs 20 to 30 litres. The same source gives the required flow rate per drinking point: 0.5 to 1.0 litre per minute for weaned piglets, 1.0 to 1.5 litres for finishing pigs, and 1.5 to 4.0 litres for sows.

Those figures directly affect what you need to order. The right pig drinking bowls may provide enough water for piglets, but fail to deliver sufficient flow for a lactating sow at the time she needs it most. A flow rate that looks correct on paper will only be achieved in practice if the water pressure and pipe diameter can support it.

Design for peak demand, not the daily average

Pigs do not drink evenly throughout the day. Demand peaks around feeding time. A system that supplies enough water over 24 hours can still fall short at those busy times. As a rule of thumb, assess your system just after feeding, using a bucket and stopwatch, rather than relying on a daily water meter reading.

Measure flow before ordering components

Replacing a bowl will not solve the issue if the restriction is in the pipework. First, measure the output from existing drinking points in each unit and compare it with the target figures for the relevant animal category above. If the figures are off, a conversation with your installer about pipe diameter and filters is at least as important as the choice of bowl itself.

What you can do yourself:

• Measure flow at three drinking points in each unit: the first, the middle and the last point on the line.
• Take each measurement twice: once during a quiet period and again within ten minutes of feeding.
• If the final drinking point delivers more than a quarter less than the first, investigate pipe diameter and pressure before blaming the bowl.
• Record the animal category, number of animals and number of drinking points in each unit, then take that information into the design discussion.

Why is one standard pig drinking bowl not the right choice?

Many barns were originally fitted with one type of drinking point across every unit. It was convenient: one item number, one spare part, one installation height. But the assumptions behind that choice no longer hold up.

The first reason is farm consolidation. According to CBS, the pig population fell by 5.1% in 2025 to 9.96 million animals, while the number of farms dropped by 7.1% to 1.900. The average farm therefore became larger. More pigs per employee means that any drinking point requiring extra work adds to labour time every day.

The second reason is height. Varkensloket advises positioning the bottom of the bowl at around 40% of the shoulder height of the smallest animal in the group. In a unit where pigs grow from 25 to 120 kilos, that reference point is constantly changing. One fixed height is always a compromise unless it is deliberately chosen to suit the smallest animal.

The third reason is hygiene. Varkensloket notes that pig drinking bowls can become a breeding ground for bacteria such as E. coli. A bowl in a hard-to-reach location is less likely to receive a thorough clean than one with clear access around it.

The fourth reason is procurement. Ordering slatted floors, troughs, drinking bowls and partitions from separate suppliers costs time in coordination and can create dimensions that almost fit, but not quite. In refurbishment work, that is often the biggest hidden cost: not the component itself, but making it connect properly.

Which drinking system suits each pig category?

Choosing between a bowl, nipple drinker or combined system is not a matter of preference. It is a calculation for each unit. The table below sets out the key figures.

The table highlights the trade-off. A drinking bowl serves more animals per point than a nipple drinker, which can be attractive in larger groups. But that same feature, standing water in an open bowl, calls for a design that can be emptied and cleaned quickly and thoroughly. Stainless steel also matters for pig drinking bowls: after years of cleaning, a smooth surface generally stays cleaner than one that becomes roughened. For a closer look at the material choice, see this guide to the lifespan of drinking bowl materials, which compares stainless steel, plastic and cast iron.

The key point is simple: the bowl should be the final decision in the chain, not the first.

How should you replace your drinking water system step by step?

The approach Van Osch B.V. uses for refurbishment projects starts with measuring the unit and ends with selecting the bowl. It involves five steps:

1. Assess each unit. Record the animal category, number of animals, number of drinking points, current installation height and cleaning routine. Without this foundation, any advice is guesswork.
2. Measure flow rate. Test every unit during quiet periods and after feeding, then compare the results with the target values for each animal category.
3. Check water quality. If you use your own water source, annual testing is required under IKB Varken. Bring the most recent results with you, as limescale or iron in the water will influence which design stands up best over time.
4. Reassess position and height. Base this on the smallest animal in the group and where the pigs tend to dung. Do not let existing wall openings dictate the layout.
5. Only then choose the pig drinking bowls, material and design, matching them to the rest of the pen equipment so that slatted floors, partitions and fixings all work to the same dimensions.

Consider a pig farmer with around 1.000 finishing pigs who initially wanted to replace only the bowls in two units. Measurements showed that the drinking points at the end of the line delivered noticeably less flow than those at the start. By including the pipe connection and bowl position in the design, rather than replacing the component alone, the cause is removed instead of merely treating the symptom. That is the difference between placing an order and redesigning a system.

What you can do yourself:

• Take a photo of every drinking point in each unit, including the surrounding area. Those images tell you more in a design discussion than an item number ever will.
• Compare your latest IKB water test result with your replacement plan.
• Check whether the new height suits the smallest pig that will enter the unit, not the pig currently standing there.
• When requesting quotes, always ask about fixing dimensions in relation to your existing wall or slatted floor.

What should you ask your specialist and manufacturer before signing off?

The most important question in any refurbishment project is this: what happens if the installation is not right after handover? Van Osch B.V. sets this out in its Five O’s: solution-focused, supportive, open, organised and genuine. This includes practical commitments such as returning calls within one working day. It is not a promise about product quality. It is a promise that someone will be reachable, which makes all the difference on a Monday morning when a pipe is leaking.

It is also worth asking about custom work. A manufacturer with in-house engineering and production in Uden can adapt a fixing to suit your wall dimensions, rather than forcing you to adapt your barn to the component. This is how custom solutions work in practice when dimensions are unusual: the drawing follows the barn.

Frequently asked questions

How many pigs can use one drinking bowl?

Up to thirty pigs per drinking bowl is possible according to Varkensloket, considerably more than with a nipple drinker. This guideline only applies when the flow rate per minute suits the animal category and the bowl can be accessed for daily cleaning. In larger groups, it pays to spread drinking points across the pen so dominant animals cannot block access.

What height should a pig drinking bowl be installed at?

Around 40% of the shoulder height of the smallest animal in the group, measured at the bottom of the drinking bowl, is the recommendation from Varkensloket. If the bowl is too high, pigs may bite the rim. If it is too low, contamination increases. In units where pigs gain substantial weight, set the height for the entry weight and knowingly accept a compromise towards the end of the finishing period.

What legal requirements apply to drinking water in pig housing?

Pigs over 2 weeks old must have access to sufficient fresh water 24 hours a day, according to RVO welfare requirements. In addition, IKB Varken requires annual chemical and bacteriological drinking water testing when an on-farm water source is used. Keep those reports, as they are also useful when assessing limescale or iron deposits in your system.

Who can help redesign drinking water provision during a refurbishment?

A specialist and manufacturer with in-house engineering can design the drinking point alongside slatted floors, partitions and troughs. Van Osch B.V. starts these projects by measuring the existing barn and then develops a drawing based on those dimensions, ensuring the fixings fit what is already in place. This typically saves the most coordination time during refurbishment, as you do not need to wait for several suppliers to align their work.

Is stainless steel always the best material for pig drinking bowls?

Not necessarily. Stainless steel generally stays smooth after intensive cleaning, which helps prevent dirt from sticking, but the right choice depends on the animal category, water quality and cleaning routine. Where water has high levels of limescale or iron, ease of cleaning matters more than the material alone. Ask your manufacturer which design best suits your water analysis and pen layout.

Conclusion

The order of decisions determines the outcome. Choosing pig drinking bowls based on water demand, flow rate per drinking point, number of animals per bowl and installation height, before considering material, solves the problem instead of simply moving it elsewhere. The figures are clear: 0.7 to 2.0 litres a day for a weaned piglet, compared with 20 to 30 litres for a farrowing sow, along with very different flow rate requirements.

So do not start with the catalogue. Start with measurements. Walk through your units with a bucket and stopwatch, put your IKB water test results alongside the plan, and reassess what each animal category needs. In Van Osch B.V.’s work with pig drinking bowls, farms that complete this process beforehand tend to have the fewest discussions afterwards about exactly what should have been supplied. The same approach also applies to the wider choice between refurbishing or building new pig housing equipment.

About Van Osch B.V.

Van Osch B.V. is a Dutch family business based in Uden, founded in 1939. The company designs, manufactures and supplies complete housing systems for pig farms. It produces custom pen equipment for sows, farrowing sows, piglets and finishing pigs in stainless steel, plastic and steel. Pig farmers are served both directly and through an international dealer network.

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