Boggy Tanks

[cross_7]

Anyway to fix tanks(Texas ponds) that are muddy and boggy to keep cattle from getting bogged down and stuck in the mud ?
The problem areas are on the inlet side where the water stands and then recedes, so I don't think digging them out will help.
I can't think of a thing short of fencing them off

 

[NC Liz]

Cross

Here in the NE we call the area just before the water goes into the pound (tank ) a silt basin.
It's just a hole in the ground to let the water slow down and is used to catch gravel and silt so it doesn't go into the pound and fill it up.
It can be as large or small and deep as you need it depending on how often you want to clean it out and the water flow and amount of silt in your area.
I use my front end loader to clean mine out in dry weather when the water passing through it gets to only about 2 in. deep in wet weather. For me that's about every 5 years or so.

 

[back2dfuture]

I saw some where on the internet..where gravel or limestone rock was used on the intlet side.. Kinda of like a gravel driveway...

 

[dun]

You can fence them out and provide a trough for them to water then that is fed by a pipe into the pond, or sometimes this works. Fence the pond and only allow maybe a 20 foot wide area that they can access it through and cover the bottom in that area to a point where the water is about 4-5 foot deep with 2-4 inch clean rock. Depending on how thick the mud/muck is you may have to lay down several layers of rock until it quits being pounded in

 

[backhoeboogie]

I clean on some in the drought. After pulling out so many feet of muck, I stuck the cat a few times. Then used the hoe to reach all I could. After the next layer of muck dried some, I got in a little farther. Then it finally rained.

Put some of the muck in a dump trailer and used it to seal another tank. It worked. People were telling me it wouldn't but it did.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Anyway to fix tanks(Texas ponds) that are muddy and boggy to keep cattle from getting bogged down and stuck in the mud ?
The problem areas are on the inlet side where the water stands and then recedes, so I don't think digging them out will help.
I can't think of a thing short of fencing them off

Drilling mud sometimes referred to as Bentonite.

 

[snake67]

Fence the tank and do not allow cows to access.

Put up a windmill - about 400 bucks

Run the water into a trough - put it on a cement pad if you like.

Over flow the water back into the tank.

Or pump it with a solar pump. Same thing - flow it into a trough and over flow back to the tank.

It is a quick and easy fix - done it before - took me two days

We never let cattle into the water any more - wrecks the water quality

Cheers

Bez

 

[cross_7]

I think fencing them out of the tanks would be the best and easiest solution for now.
I just cant come up with a cheap reliable way to pump water from the tanks.
There are several tanks and I plan to cross fence and rotate pastures so I shouldn't need to pump water out of but 1 or 2 tanks at a time
The solar pumps are around 2k each but I guess I could moved the pump as I rotate pastures.
Maybe just a cheap Banjo gas powered water transfer pump

 

[greybeard]

Fence the tank and do not allow cows to access.

Put up a windmill - about 400 bucks


Cheers

Bez

I priced quite few windmills a few years ago--used. $700-$1500 ea.

I have a fairly big pond, and the cattle use it, but I don't have a muck problem. Hard soil right up to the water's edge. Clay. Harder than a hoe's heart.

 

[snake67]

Fence the tank and do not allow cows to access.

Put up a windmill - about 400 bucks


Cheers

Bez

I priced quite few windmills a few years ago--used. $700-$1500 ea.

I have a fairly big pond, and the cattle use it, but I don't have a muck problem. Hard soil right up to the water's edge. Clay. Harder than a hoe's heart.

So my price memory is about 15 years old LOL - bottom line is what I talked about will improve water quality - any time you improve water you have less sickness, better health and better gains. If a rancher or farmer is serious about raising cattle and making money water is always up there in priority.

All of the above mean more money - which is because you spend less and weigh out more.

Lose one cow in a tank and you more than paid for what it takes to develop it properly.

Does not take a rocket scientist to see that it pays over a short time - even for a small guy.

Letting cattle into water always reduces water quality and can often means you have issues that need to be handled.

Such as the "Boggy Tanks" thread.

Cow steps into the tank which we call a pond - first thing she does is schitte - second thing she does is pizz - then she drinks and or lays down in the water if it is a black cow. All of which is not good for the pond or the cow or the calf if is is really soft.

Almost any type of pump will do - heck depending on the amount of water used a simple small solar can do the job with a couple of batteries hooked up to it for cloudy day service.

Be that as it may folks will do as they see fit. He asked for a solution and I gave him one that well and truly works. If he provides aeration to the pond once the cattle are fenced out in about two years it will come crystal clear.

Have a nice weekend

Best to all

Bez

 

[cross_7]

I agree
I like to keep things simple
Fence the cattle out and pump water to a trough
Problem solved

 

[cross_7]

This one seems to be the worst, you can see in the sw corner the problem
There is others that have similar problems

 

[Texas PaPaw]

In nonfreezing weather you can use HDPE plastic pipe as a siphon over the dam into a metal tank below the dam. If little slope, might have to place tank farther below the dam, so would use bigger pipe to have decent volume to feed a float valve.

 

[greybeard]

So my price memory is about 15 years old LOL - bottom line is what I talked about will improve water quality - any time you improve water you have less sickness, better health and better gains. If a rancher or farmer is serious about raising cattle and making money water is always up there in priority.

All of the above mean more money - which is because you spend less and weigh out more.

Lose one cow in a tank and you more than paid for what it takes to develop it properly.

Does not take a rocket scientist to see that it pays over a short time - even for a small guy.

Letting cattle into water always reduces water quality and can often means you have issues that need to be handled.

Such as the "Boggy Tanks" thread.

Cow steps into the tank which we call a pond - first thing she does is schitte - second thing she does is pizz - then she drinks and or lays down in the water if it is a black cow. All of which is not good for the pond or the cow or the calf if is is really soft.

Almost any type of pump will do - heck depending on the amount of water used a simple small solar can do the job with a couple of batteries hooked up to it for cloudy day service.

Be that as it may folks will do as they see fit. He asked for a solution and I gave him one that well and truly works. If he provides aeration to the pond once the cattle are fenced out in about two years it will come crystal clear.

Have a nice weekend

Best to all

Bez

I don't disagree with that Bez, even tho that is not my experience. I don't know why, but I can only remember 2 instances over the years that cattle actually entered my ponds. One was when a bull swam one to get into the heifer pasture, and the other was a week old calf that for whatever reason, waded off in one. Other than that, they just walk up to the edge, get a drink and walk off to graze again.

I HAVE seen other people's cattle standing in ponds when I travel, but I just don't see it around here.
Maybe it's just a black hide thing like you said--maybe it depends on the location??

Oh, and the windmill..........$1500 and I have to go out to west Texas and take it down but it includes a tank.

http://abilene.craigslist.org/grd/4179211802.html