So did I.

I Googled it.

We're both wrong. It keeps the water from freezing over in the winter.

Interesting.

Though it does the stuff we said too.

In old cow byres here in Scotland I've seen cow operated taps for drinking water in the stalls. Above a cow-mouth-sized drinking dish there is a large metal flap which the cow has to press to get the water to flow into the bowl. How they learnt I don't know ...

That's neat. I'd like to see one doing that.

Reading Chocky (John Wyndham) I remember Chocky asking Matthew why, if cows can work out when to gather together to be milked, they can't learn how to open the gate. Even at ten I was able to answer "because it has no benefit to them".

I am still trying to train Diz to understand that head butting at night does not equal food. And despite how much he dislikes the sound of the alarm it really does mean 7 minutes of snuggle and then food.

And I was just able to look up this particular model. And at the risk of looking way to excited about this, it's really pretty cool.

You run a water line to this thing, and a float controlled valve, much like a float in the back of your toilet, fills the tank from below. Since you are running the water to it underground, below the frost line, it doesn't freeze in the winter, even in cold climates. The livestock just have to be actively using it so that the cold water in the tank is constantly being replaced by fresh water from the relatively warm underground pipe. In the summer, that same underground pipe means the water is cooler for the cows. And the balls keep the water temperature fairly constant.

The one I saw was about 300 yards uphill from the nearest building that had an obvious water supply, but I suppose you can run a hose underground for 300 yards. There was a dilapidated shed about 80 yards from this watering tank, and maybe the plumbing came from that shed.

I'm still not shaking your hand during Mass.

I don't blame you.
But you want to hear something gross?

My mom grew up in dairy farm country, and she would lick the salt licks left out for the cows. She also would say that she would deliberately step in warm cow patties while barefoot because it felt good, but I don't know if that's true. I believe the salt lick thing, but not the cow poop one.

apparently they're not Irish Cows.
Not so!

I really wonder. Do cows care about the temperature of the water they drink?
Like, I'm fairly sure my puppy never cared if his water was cold or warm. He in fact seemed to prefer fairly tepid water to chilled water.

How would you go about trying to scientifically prove "enjoyment", not mere preference but actual sensual pleasure, from animals' reaction to various temperatures of accessible water?

There might be very good reasons why we would have evolved positive reactions to chilled beverage that other animals may not have evolved. And even if they show tendencies towards, or preferences for, certain temperatures of water, can we show ways that they actually ENJOY or otherwise have positive "emotional" reactions to having chilled water versus room-temperature water?

I'm mildly skeptical of, but mostly down with, the idea that animals PREFER colder water. Cold water is a good indicator of fresher spring-fed sources of water. But... while on my most animal-loving level, I want to equate that with ENJOYMENT OF colder water, is there any way to empirically show the sort of emotional enjoyment that we feel towards having cold drinks, in other animals?
Like, i'm serious - if anyone can help me understand, i'm not asking in a rhetorical, no-they-don't sort of way - i'm legitimately dead curious as to whether we can be sure that they really do have the sort of emotional concept of 'enjoying' something they prefer that we do.

That's nothing. How do you know when you see the color that we agree is called blue, you are seeing the same thing that I see when I see the color that we agree is called blue. Maybe my blue is more vivid than yours. How will we ever know? And we can communicate.

Your puppy never cared... but had a preference?

I think animals would prefer cooler water in the summer simply because it's so dang hot outside. (And, by extension, rather warmer water in the winter.) But I live in a state where the animals sometimes die of heatstroke unless the ranchers go out there and hose them down repeatedly. Maybe in more northern climates the temperature doesn't matter so much.

Why the pesky blighter! Send in the badgers I say.