Fresh vs. Pond Water

[kucala5]

It's hot and dry here so the ponds are not great right now. Temps 100+ for the next few days with no chance of rain for a few days. We have grass where we don't have good water and fresh water where we don't have grass. I'm thinking hay and fresh water is better on a cow than grass and a green ponds. My mamas and babies drinking that nasty looking water has never set well with me. Thoughts from the gurus?

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

We are dry too, only 2 inches in July and none in August (and not looking like any on the radar). Anyway, we took some classes at the extension, and they studied cows drinking habits, and learned the cows preferred the pond water to fresh water; and these were some nasty ponds! The cows had easy access to both, and chose the pond water most of the time.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

We are dry too, only 2 inches in July and none in August (and not looking like any on the radar). Anyway, we took some classes at the extension, and they studied cows drinking habits, and learned the cows preferred the pond water to fresh water; and these were some nasty ponds! The cows had easy access to both, and chose the pond water most of the time.

I've watched them walk past a tub of water with an automatic waterer to drink from putrid pools of rain water mixed with manure and urine.

 

[kucala5]

Well, that makes me feel better. Hubs says the same thing about cows and water...guess we should keep them on grass. Just was looking for validation I DID NOT GET. LOL

 

[torogmc81]

I agree with how you feel Kucala about watching them drink the nasty water. But I feel just as bad about keeping them out of the pond when it's hot and humid knowing how much it cools them when they are uncomfortable. But I question about the effect of the cattle drinking the pond water on the their health. any studies on the quality of pond water and it's effect on reproduction, miscarriage, loss, etc??

 

[kucala5]

Good question toro on pond water studies.

 

[Deepsouth]

We are dry too, only 2 inches in July and none in August (and not looking like any on the radar). Anyway, we took some classes at the extension, and they studied cows drinking habits, and learned the cows preferred the pond water to fresh water; and these were some nasty ponds! The cows had easy access to both, and chose the pond water most of the time.

Fire sweep, I have a small pond, about a 1/4 acre and maybe 2' deep. In the same pasture is a fresh water trough. They are on opposit ends of the field. The pond is near the the shade trees that the cows stay under all day. They do wade around in the pond some but it's really not deep enough to do them any good. Every evening when the sun goes down and it cools off some they leave the shade trees and go straight to the water trough and drink. Maybe mine are just different but I never see them drinking from the pond and I get a lot of rain so the pond water is pretty clean.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

We are dry too, only 2 inches in July and none in August (and not looking like any on the radar). Anyway, we took some classes at the extension, and they studied cows drinking habits, and learned the cows preferred the pond water to fresh water; and these were some nasty ponds! The cows had easy access to both, and chose the pond water most of the time.

Fire sweep, I have a small pond, about a 1/4 acre and maybe 2' deep. In the same pasture is a fresh water trough. They are on opposit ends of the field. The pond is near the the shade trees that the cows stay under all day. They do wade around in the pond some but it's really not deep enough to do them any good. Every evening when the sun goes down and it cools off some they leave the shade trees and go straight to the water trough and drink. Maybe mine are just different but I never see them drinking from the pond and I get a lot of rain so the pond water is pretty clean.

Maybe your cows are more sophisticated? :lol: ;-)
Really, maybe because it is shallow? The ponds in the study were a good 4 feet deep.... We have two ponds, and it is great watching them pee/poop while they drink.... YUCK! They only have access to the ponds just a few days out of our grazing rotation cycle, so not often. The rest of the time they have well water troughs... But when they are in the wedge where the ponds are, they NEVER come to the well water troughs.... they stay near the ponds. Go figure, mine are not so sophisticated!

 

[Jessica06]

FWIW, ours will walk past the ponds and go to the far side of the pasture to get fresh water. Also, we have a tank in our pens...they drink out of the troughs when they have access to them. I think it depends on how muddy the water is...we have a lot of clay so the water is usually pretty dang cloudy.

 

[Kscattle]

You guys are comparing "fresh" water to pond water? I don't get it? From what I've seen, the pond water is the fresh water! Around here there's so much chlorine, chemicals to clean the water supply, that my cows won't hardly drink it! I can understand if your talking about "well" water but this crap we're buying from the water districts is NOT considered good, clean, or fresh.
My rant is over now.

 

[JSCATTLE]

I provide my cows with a fresh water source ( well water) . And 3 ponds . Their farthest walk is about 3/4 of a mile . They usually spend the night close to the water tub and leave out early morning to graze and find shade . But late evening they come up to the front to drink .my cows stay in better condition on fresh water. I think the drink more because its clean .

 

[TexasBred]

If these poor spoiled cattle had been born a hundred years ago they would have starved to death waiting on someone to pipe them water. Mine drink the water from the tank or do without.

 

[machslammer]

I have a spring fed watering trough right next to a 4' deep pond and my cows will wade in the pond at times in hot whether, but prefer to drink out of the water trough. I have read that the micro organisms that grow in ponds are not good for cattle and actually effect calf growths. I dunno how true it is, but that was the studies I read and plus the water looks much better.

 

[Shanghai]

If these poor spoiled cattle had been born a hundred years ago they would have starved to death waiting on someone to pipe them water. Mine drink the water from the tank or do without.

I didn't learn till awhile back "tank" is a Texas term. When I'd say tank people would think I was talking about a metal water trough.
I explained that we called them tanks, short for dirt tank.
They call them ponds

 

[John SD]

I'm a firm believer in good water. I installed pipelines so no cow is over a half mile from a water tank.

I'm fortunate to have some of the best quality water there is on my summer place that I still own. The well is 140' deep and has never pumped dry.

Where I live I joined with neighbors to pipe artesian water from another neighbor. It's good livestock water and cattle like it. Got a lot of sodium in it and a little hard on plumbing but it's a blessing, especially compare to the low quality/quantity or simply no water situation previously.

I call :bs: that cows don't like "city" clorinated water. I hauled this water for years. Originates at the Oahe Dam on the Missouri River. Cows drink twice as much when you're hauling it to them, especially from 17 miles away. :roll:

The galvanized stock tank I used stayed looking just like new when I hauled the chlorinated water to them. They were done in a couple years with the artesian water. :shock:

 

[John SD]

If these poor spoiled cattle had been born a hundred years ago they would have starved to death waiting on someone to pipe them water. Mine drink the water from the tank or do without.

I didn't learn till awhile back "tank" is a Texas term. When I'd say tank people would think I was talking about a metal water trough.
I explained that we called them tanks, short for dirt tank.
They call them ponds

"Tank" is definitely a southern term. "Here" a tank is man-made out of steel, plastic, fiberglass, or rubber.

Ponds are an entirely natural phenonemnon not seen "here".
Man-made earthen structures are either dams or dugouts.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

I call :bs: that cows don't like "city" clorinated water. I hauled this water for years. Originates at the Oahe Dam on the Missouri River. Cows drink twice as much when you're hauling it to them, especially from 17 miles away. ::

You can call :bs: all you want, but I can guarantee you cows will turn their nose up to chlorinated water until they are so thirsty they can not stand it and then will drink! Our cows at home are on well water, but when we go to shows and stay overnight we have a heck of a time getting them to drink city water. They will go 24 hours without water before they will touch the stuff! When we have a show day, we hook an RV water filter up to the water to take out all the crap the city puts in, and they drink long and deep for us. They can tell, that is for sure!
One year we put chlorine tabs in all the water tanks to get them used to it, but that was a pain to keep up, so now we just drag a filter with us.

 

[TexasBred]

"Tank" is definitely a southern term. "Here" a tank is man-made out of steel, plastic, fiberglass, or rubber.

Ponds are an entirely natural phenonemnon not seen "here".
Man-made earthen structures are either dams or dugouts.

John down this way a dam is what holds the water in the tank. Usually located on the deep end. Maybe I should have said "Pond". ;-)

 

[Ouachita]

We are dry too, only 2 inches in July and none in August (and not looking like any on the radar). Anyway, we took some classes at the extension, and they studied cows drinking habits, and learned the cows preferred the pond water to fresh water; and these were some nasty ponds! The cows had easy access to both, and chose the pond water most of the time.

Amazing the difference in rainfall. We had 13 inches in July.
I have also noticed our livestock will not drink the city water when we are at show or county fair. We haul water during those events. I think they get accustomed to it, but just like you or me, I notice the difference by the smell even before I taste it.

 

[slick4591]

This time last year my cows were drinking from a Rubbermaid water trough. The tanks were low enough that the wading the baldies would do kept it all screwed up. They loved the rural water district water. When the rains came and put fresh water in the tanks they went back to drinking from them.