# Portable watering system for cattle ideas??



## randyandmegs (Oct 3, 2010)

Does anyone have any good ideas on a portable watering system for cattle? Something that can be moved every 2 -3 days as I move the cattle to the new grazing paddocks. Right now it would be for about 35 head but eventually moving up to 75 head. Some concerns are how hot the water would get in the summer, something big enough to support the numbers I have but small enough to drain and move every few days and something durable enough that the cows wont knock it over. I have hydrants placed every 400' along 7000' of the water line. Actually I have hydrants every 800' with 4 hole waterers in between the hydrants.

Randy
Columbus NC


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## SpaceCadet12364 (Apr 27, 2003)

Your cheapest option would be adding waterers. because moving up to 5000 gals of water a day will not be cheap by any means. not even to take in account time.


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

I saw a cool one once, used on a big ranch up in SD. Made with a utility trailer, a plastic water tank, a metal trough welded to the trailer frame. They could fill up the tank, haul it to where needed on the ranch with a pickup or ATV, open the valve and have water for their cattle without adding infrastructure.


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

For a while, I used the blue or black bushel sized plastic tubs that the protein stuff came in. They would last for a couple of seasons. They would sometimes get turned over. I graduated to a shallower oval galvanized tank. It is light enough to drag and short enough that it does not get turned over. I can use it between paddocks too. 

I have these Plasson Valves along the lines every 75 to hundred feet, where I water. and connect with a hose. I call it plug and play. The nozzle on the right connects to the hose and tank float valve and is inserted into the yellow capped valve. 

When the nozzle gets to the barb and opens the valve. I also have one at the pumpkin patch at the end of the lane.


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## COWS (Dec 23, 2012)

Hi, Randy, i'm about 40 miles South of you in SC. 

Are you on city water? If so, watering them will be expensive. If I understand you, you have automatic waterers. During cold weather like we have just had I'm concernet about the pipes freezing. 35 head around one trough will get crowed also, don't know the solution to that, however, since you want to move them from pasture to pasture I would thing of building a trough on wheels so you can move it easily by machinery. Maybe 2-3 commercial tanks mounted end to end on a trailer?

COWS


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## ramiller5675 (Mar 31, 2009)

If you already have either a waterer or a hydrants every 400', then why not just build either a temporary or permanent lane to the watering points?

I assume you are already putting up temporary electric fence if you are moving your cattle, so it seems like it would be easier to just run a little bit more fencing to build a lane instead of moving a water tank every few days.

Simple and flexible is always better. Not spending any extra money on new stuff while still keeping it simple and flexible is even better.


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## M5farm (Jan 14, 2014)

start finding old porcelain bath tubs and put them in each field with a float. a golf ball works perfect to stop up the drain and is easily removed to empty if needed. most are white and they will stay cooler.


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## Awnry Abe (Mar 21, 2012)

I use the Plasson valves that Bret showed plumbed into a Rubbermaid 100 gal tank with a Jobe valve. The valve is mounted below the water line. I use garden hose between the Plasson and the tank. Works great, and opens up my grazing options.


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## lakeportfarms (Apr 23, 2009)

It's probably a bit different there in NC than here in Michigan with your summer heat, but this has worked especially well for our Dexter herd in the summer that we do multiple moves/day with. The water gets moved every day or two with the back line. I just turn off the valve, undo the quick connect fitting, dump the cooler, and roll it to the next spot and drag the hose to it. We have hydrants every couple hundred feet along the fence line. Obviously we don't do this from October to mid May or it would freeze.

The coolers were at Sams Club, about $90 each. We use about 5 of them for our different pastures. They've held up quite well and are very easy to clean. I took the hinged lids off but keep them, and they are also used when I'm picking up beef from the processor!


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## randyandmegs (Oct 3, 2010)

Space Cadet I don't understand your reply. I would basically be tipping over or draining a 20-100 gallon waterer every few days as I move the cattle. I don't understand your 5000 gallon comment.

Bret: The oval tank idea is the best thing I have came up with that I think would meet my needs. I already have all the lines, waterers and hydrants placed so the quick connect idea wouldn't work at this point. I also thought about those blue protein tubs. My grandpa has a stack of those things in the barn, just worried about it getting turned over. 

COWS: No we have well water. I have 2 wells on the system, I have been running 2 systems, 2 herds etc the last few years but I will be combining everything in a few more weeks. If anything should happen to one well I can turn a valve and the other one will feed the water lines. During really cold weather I will likely just utilize the 4 hole waterers, they will just have to travel a bit farther to get to them. Based on what I have learned from Agmantoo on the rotational grazing thread and also notice in my herd I have been doing rotational grazing with, as long as I keep the herd close to a watering point they will come to water as needed and not as a herd to the waterer. That was the whole purpose in having water point every 400'. Some paddocks are pretty deep lengthwise so that should always keep the travel down under 800 feet anywhere on the farm.

Ramiller: I am in the process of building a 60' wide lane throughout the entire farm. The water line sits almost right underneath one side of the lane, hydrants are set just about in line with the water line, the waterers are sitting in the middle of the lane. If you are suggesting something else please elaborate more.

M5farm: My farm covers 400 acres that would be a lot of bathtubs but the idea is nice.

Awnry Abe: I have purchased two style Jobe Valves. I have thought about the Rubbermaid waterers and like that idea best but.... how hot does the water get on a 90-100 degree day? If I were already up to 70 or so head I think they would keep the watering circulating enough for it not to be an issue. I do plan on running a white Pex line from the hydrant to the waterer kinda like your garden hose.

Lakeport: Nice idea but I cant take the chance with the water coming in from the top like that considering I'm gone 24 hours at a time with my off farm job... EMS. At some point I think that would get broken and like everything else that goes wrong on the farm it always happens while I'm at work.

Randy


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## Awnry Abe (Mar 21, 2012)

With 70 head, you won't have an issue with hot water.


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## ramiller5675 (Mar 31, 2009)

If you are building a lane along your watering points, I don't understand why you would need to have a portable watering system. 

I'd rather just get some permanent 100 gal. tanks and install them at the hydrants if I was worried about the waterers being 800' apart. If I was strapped for cash, I might get 2-3 tanks to start and move them to each hydrant as I needed them until I could buy enough to make them permanent.


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## lakeportfarms (Apr 23, 2009)

Randy, you'd have to drill a hole and modify the cooler, but this would work instead of the clamp on auto waterer. The only thing stopping me is that I haven't had any problems with the current setup, and I like the dual use of the cooler for picking up my beef from the processor.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006O2R7IQ?psc=1


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## SpaceCadet12364 (Apr 27, 2003)

randyandmegs said:


> Space Cadet I don't understand your reply. I would basically be tipping over or draining a 20-100 gallon waterer every few days as I move the cattle. I don't understand your 5000 gallon comment.
> Randy


I thought you where talking manual watering. And you said up to 75 head. Cows can drink 35 gals a water a day depending on size plus waste and evaporation. refilling a 100 gal tub. Not to mention when one climbs in and lays down to cool off they will do it. You will be hauling water constantly. So I said to add more auto waters.


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