Let's assume our cow is a finisher steer that weighs 1000 pounds, raised for four months on a corn-based diet. Average ambient temperature is 70ºF or 21ºC. That animal is consuming 12.6 gallons of water per day (that's a rate of consumption of 1.2 percent water consumed of the animal's body weight). So over the four months, 1,537 gallons of water is consumed by that animal.