watering cows

[whistlepig]

I am thinking about buying a beef cow or two. I have everything I need except water. No water or no electric close to where the cows could be. The thought of hauling water and dumping the water trough every day in freezing weather is holding me back. I am not wanting to dig a pond. Have I optioned myself out? We have horses and automatic water for them. But we don't want the cows running with the horses. Road apples much easier to clean up than cow patties.

 

[Kfbeal]

How far is the water access away?

 

[whistlepig]

400 yards.

 

[dave1949]

If drilling a well is possible, I can think of two options, freeze proof hand pump (Bison Pumps, Houlton, Maine) or if the well is not over 100' deep to the static water level, there are solar electric driven pumps that will pump to that depth.

You can still get the old Aeromotor windmills - very pricey.

If your water table supports it, a dug well maybe 20' deep might work. That would take a decent excavator operator a couple hours to dig (assuming no bedrock) I think.

None of these are cheap options, sorry.

Dave.

 

[whistlepig]

We do have an open well on our place. It's in the field that the cattle would run. Fenced off like Fort Knox and overgrown with wild rose it is. But I can see the water in it when I brush hog this field. A very long way from electric. At least a thousand yards.

 

[dave1949]

We do have an open well on our place. It's in the field that the cattle would run. Fenced off like Fort Knox and overgrown with wild rose it is. But I can see the water in it when I brush hog this field. A very long way from electric. At least a thousand yards.

That's a great advantage to have that well. I don't know how much water a couple cattle need, I have seen producing cows take a 3 gal. bucket in one slurp, but if you can work a hand pump, they claim the Bison pumps will not freeze up.

Maybe you could put a wood cover over it to support the well head and lift pipe/cylinder.

They are made from stainless steel. Lehman's in Kidron, OH sells them, they don't usually sell junk.

I had a dug well on my lot, it was way off in the corner, about 15' from the road and I could never make use of it. I pulled it in with the backhoe. It was a shame as it was a really nice rock lined well that always had water. Just afraid a child would fall in it someday.

Dave.

 

[whistlepig]

That's a great advantage to have that well. I don't know how much water a couple cattle need, I have seen producing cows take a 3 gal. bucket in one slurp, but if you can work a hand pump, they claim the Bison pumps will not freeze up.

Maybe you could put a wood cover over it to support the well head and lift pipe/cylinder.

They are made from stainless steel. Lehman's in Kidron, OH sells them, they don't usually sell junk.

I had a dug well on my lot, it was way off in the corner, about 15' from the road and I could never make use of it. I pulled it in with the backhoe. It was a shame as it was a really nice rock lined well that always had water. Just afraid a child would fall in it someday.

Dave.

The open well scares me too. We have a neighbor with three young girls just across the fence. But these are farm girls. I do know about good watering systems. We have Nelson waterer here for the horses. I just can't get the cows to it.

 

[schmism]

The open well scares me too.

put a proper removable cap on with a solar powered small pump and it would be easy to pump water a few hundred yards.

 

[deere755]

My brother in law hauls water to his cattle and uses a solar heater to keep the water from freezing in the winter.

 

[Western]

My brother in law hauls water to his cattle and uses a solar heater to keep the water from freezing in the winter.

Bingo!! easiest, fastest way.

You may consider a plastic tank, plumbed to the trough with a float. then fill the main tank 1 or 2 times a week versus every day.

 

[Egon]

What is the object of keeping the cows?

 

[dave1949]

Egon

The object of keeping anything mentioned on this site is to justify owning a tractor with as many implements as you can afford

 

[Egon]

Dave, In that case one should use the cow money for tractor stuff!

 

[dave1949]

Dave, In that case one should use the cow money for tractor stuff!

Well yes, but you have to use the cow as a 'money laundering' scheme to satisfy other parties. You put the money 'through' the cow and into the tractor. Somehow, that sounds like b--- s---.

 

[Uncle Doug]

Well yes, but you have to use the cow as a 'money laundering' scheme to satisfy other parties. You put the money 'through' the cow and into the tractor. Somehow, that sounds like b--- s---.

Most of my livestock projects have not been money makers. Yet we continue to try out of love of the lifestye. It helps to have a couple of other jobs to support my farm habbits.

As far a hauling water, down here we can get those 75 gal poly tanks in a wire crate. One will fit in a back of a pickup or 2-3 on a trailer. Be sure to calculate the full weight of the water so not to overload the trailer.

 

[dave1949]

On a more useful note:

Years ago, I had a hog waterer that had an empty chamber below the water tank. In the chamber was one of those old kerosene burning smudgepots that you could lite on cold nights. The smudgepots are the things they used to use for road hazard warnings before the battery types came into use.

It had a sheetmetal door to close on the bottom chamber and a lid on top of the water tank as the hogs drank from cups with sheetmetal flaps. So, at least the water wasn't exposed to the air directly.

Maybe something like that could be adapted to cattle to get you through the cold part of winter.

Dave

 

[oliver28472]

Google up mirafount. I have one in my pasture. You will have to run underground pipe to it.

 

[The Dougster]

Open water wells are a major source of pollution, not to mention a danger to children and some adults... Get the darn thing covered preferably with a lock... It appears that you have a source of water and several reasonable responses. Good luck..

 

[Tractorbeam]

The object of keeping anything mentioned on this site is to justify owning a tractor with as many implements as you can afford.

This is a beautiful thought.

 

[Unclebuck257]

The oldtimers around here told me long ago that one cow can drink 30 gallons of water a day. Good luck with your project and the two cows, but please don't get those critters until you've got an adequate and sure water supply for them.