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Kingston,Mi | As Mark says, water them once or twice a day and they will be there to meet you. As I understand your post, the cattle will be in a barn or barn and barnyard setup rather than on pasture. We have run water in to tanks with a hose twice a day for years with good results, just remember that the hose has to go into a heated space or as I do drain it out by elevating over my shoulder as I walk a along the hose. It usally needs at least 2 trips, sometimes 3 to empty the hose of any water. I have mine hooked to an oudoor self draining hydrant. I also layout 3 hoses together, so that if I do not drain 1 hose enough and it freezes, I can hook up a dry hose and run water. Then take the frozen hose to the laundry room and thaw it out. Distance from the frost free hydrant to the tank is about 100 ft. so I have just standard length garden hose. I also use a sinking 1500 watt tank heater in a 60 gallon Rubbermaid tank. It works for 10 to 15 head of Holstein feeders. At the other farm we had a 200 gallon steel tank that was filled twice aday for 20 to 30 beef cows and holstein heifers. It did not have a heater, so we just broke the ice and filled back up with water. Every week or so we would bust the ice from the sides and shovel it out. Our weather in the Thumb of Michigan (40 miles east of Saginaw, Mi) ranges from the upper 20's farenheit to -20 in Feb. We have not had much more than frosts so far, but have had to break 1/4 in ice several days a week (haven't put the heater in yet), later this month until mid March it will be frozen nearly every day unless heated.
Nice thing about this system , is the low cost. 60 gallon rubbermaid tank is about $75.00 USD, 1500 watt sinking heater with wire tank guard, $20.00 and (3) 100 ft havy duty 3/4 inch garden hoses would cost another $60.00 for the 3 hoses, less than $200.00 for a simple water system. | |
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Water on winter time for Angus cows. Any ideas?
