A Question for Farmers in the US / Canada / Anywhere cold

[Borderer]

We are currently planning new cattle housing or more likely straw yards to replace 1950's buildings that have reached the end of their life.

Our winters aren't that bad, it is typically around 40 degrees fahrenheit, with around 3-4 weeks of 17-32 and every couple of years, it gets down to 5 degrees for a few days.

The water system invariably fails when it get below 28 degrees. The ballcocks freeze up and every exposed pipe freezes. We have a very badly designed system which is at least 50 years old.

What do you use to ensure a reliable supply in the winter?

I am thinking of using bottom filled troughs (very expensive though) and all pipes well below ground level.

 

[Borderer]

I realise that this is an entirely inappropriate question for an African hunting forum, but as this is my only contact with anyone in the US, I though someone might have a solution. Please feel free to PM me if it avoids clogging up the forum

 

[BRICKBURN]

Nothing wrong with this query. You’re in the right section.

 

[Altitude sickness]

I have frost free hydrant that is wrapped with heat tape. The hydrant feeds directly into an insulated and heated water tank.

But the type you are describing work even better.

Amazon.com

You need to keep the wind from any type of water system. Even these Ritchie style need to be out of the wind.

 

[Dinsdale]

I’m just a bit colder than you in that I have more days below freezing.

I use this method with hay/straw to fill the box around the tank and a submersible electric heater on thermostat for extended long periods of time.

I fill manually with a frost free hydrant located outside the fence line and a short length of hose I keep inside. I have just a couple animals and it suits my use well.

I should add I have my box/stock tank outside my fence line with a gap to access the water; otherwise them damn cattle will rub on it and make a mess when it starts to empty and doesnt weigh enough,

 

[Vashper]

Do you have cows on leashes (individual drinkers) or in groups?

 

[Red Leg]

I realise that this is an entirely inappropriate question for an African hunting forum, but as this is my only contact with anyone in the US, I though someone might have a solution. Please feel free to PM me if it avoids clogging up the forum

You might send a PM to @ActionBob. He is the most experienced cattleman I know period, much less on this site. He is also extremely familiar with managing them in some of the coldest parts of this country.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

father and I kept a small herd until his health got to bad and I was forced to sell them to free up time to care for him. We’re 45 degrees north so you can plan on 3-4 months below zero Celsius with the odd spike above. We always barned are cattle in stanchions from November until April-may depending on how the pastures were.

the heat generated by twenty cows along with their calves a bull and a lazy old draft/appaloosa cross kept the barn itself from freezing but I always had to keep a plywood box around the pump with a light bulb in it and surrounded by square bales,

We ran one water bowl per two cows so ten total. And had foam pipe wrapping on all the exposed pipes.

 

[CM McKenzie]

We sink our water lines around six feet deep. You can also run a drip line, basically just crack a water line and leave your tank on a constant overflow. If you dump some 2 inch gravel under the tank a foot or so deep, it will prevent erosion. Tire tanks, made from old dump truck tires are popular around here because they are naturally warmer from the radiant heat of the sun. You still have to chop them out at 20 or 30 below, but I would be impressed if you could hurt one with an axe.

 

[WAB]

We had heaters in our watering troughs in Canada. That’s very old info. I’m sure some of the guys still ranching there can provide better info.

 

[ActionBob]

We are currently planning new cattle housing or more likely straw yards to replace 1950's buildings that have reached the end of their life.

Our winters aren't that bad, it is typically around 40 degrees fahrenheit, with around 3-4 weeks of 17-32 and every couple of years, it gets down to 5 degrees for a few days.

The water system invariably fails when it get below 28 degrees. The ballcocks freeze up and every exposed pipe freezes. We have a very badly designed system which is at least 50 years old.

What do you use to ensure a reliable supply in the winter?

I am thinking of using bottom filled troughs (very expensive though) and all pipes well below ground level.

Wow that's hardly even cold I was just up at our Minnesota and SD operations while it was -15 although it can get to -40.

How many cattle are you talking about? Where are you located?

Yes bury the water lines. In the North we go at least 8 feet. In SW Kansas which is much warmer but still colder than you are talking about we go 2 to 4 feet. Deeper under driveways or high traffic areas because as dirt gets packed it freezes deeper.

We have mostly unheated, well insulated plastic automatic waterers in Kansas. Yes the water is fed in from underneath. You should bring the pipe up through a piece of larger drain tile or any larger tube you have available so the ground heat can rise under there. 6" diameter should be good but anything from 4" to 8" 2-4 feet long or deep. In your climate you should not need the fancy insulated tubes the water fountain company sells. The key to the well insulated but unheated waterers is flow rate. The more cattle drinking the less problems with freezing. 20 to 50 head per waterer should be ok. We usually have larger water troughs with a couple hundred.

If you have few, you may need the covers or floating balls and also go check them a few times per day.

Or if you have electricity available put in a heated waterer and you should have no problems.

The blue ones are Mirafount, no electricity but you can wrap the pipe and valve with heat tape and/or put a donut heater in the water trough under the cover in the valve chamber.

 

[Neophyte]

We are currently planning new cattle housing or more likely straw yards to replace 1950's buildings that have reached the end of their life.

Our winters aren't that bad, it is typically around 40 degrees fahrenheit, with around 3-4 weeks of 17-32 and every couple of years, it gets down to 5 degrees for a few days.

The water system invariably fails when it get below 28 degrees. The ballcocks freeze up and every exposed pipe freezes. We have a very badly designed system which is at least 50 years old.

What do you use to ensure a reliable supply in the winter?

I am thinking of using bottom filled troughs (very expensive though) and all pipes well below ground.

My winters got a little colder than yours when I was running cattle and I had no electricity.
I’d insulate the pipes, keep a steady flow, not too fast, make sure to put rough concrete around the tank with sand over it so cattle don’t slip, and check twice daily and break ice as needed.

Best option was moving to where I didn’t have to break ice. If you have electric power I’d go with an electric heater. Just keep it protected from the critters because as sure as Christ made little green apples those bovine critters will find a way to damage it.

I always carried a sharp axe in the winter, whether a horseback or in the truck, to break ice.

 

[GuttormG]

Heat tracing with self-regulating heating cable.

 

[Borderer]

Do you have cows on leashes (individual drinkers) or in groups?

Groups

 

[Borderer]

Wow that's hardly even cold I was just up at our Minnesota and SD operations while it was -15 although it can get to -40.

How many cattle are you talking about? Where are you located?

Yes bury the water lines. In the North we go at least 8 feet. In SW Kansas which is much warmer but still colder than you are talking about we go 2 to 4 feet. Deeper under driveways or high traffic areas because as dirt gets packed it freezes deeper.

We have mostly unheated, well insulated plastic automatic waterers in Kansas. Yes the water is fed in from underneath. You should bring the pipe up through a piece of larger drain tile or any larger tube you have available so the ground heat can rise under there. 6" diameter should be good but anything from 4" to 8" 2-4 feet long or deep. In your climate you should not need the fancy insulated tubes the water fountain company sells. The key to the well insulated but unheated waterers is flow rate. The more cattle drinking the less problems with freezing. 20 to 50 head per waterer should be ok. We usually have larger water troughs with a couple hundred.

If you have few, you may need the covers or floating balls and also go check them a few times per day.

Or if you have electricity available put in a heated waterer and you should have no problems.

The blue ones are Mirafount, no electricity but you can wrap the pipe and valve with heat tape and/or put a donut heater in the water trough under the cover in the valve chamber. View attachment 665516View attachment 665517

Thank you very much. The new building will be for up to 200 store cattle (200 - 600kg) in the North of England, so probably much smaller than you are used to!