how much water space needed?

[forrest]

I have a 100 gallon trough with an automatic float. I check it every day as it is just out my back door. It is up against a fence as that is the only way the hose will reach and it helps protect the float and hose. Anyway I only have seen 2 maybe 3 drink at a time from this. Is this sufficient for about 20 head? I know they technically have unlimited water with the auto float but I was wondering if I was was inadvertenly restricting their water intake by not allowing more head to be able to drink at once?

 

[LRTX1]

I think a lot of that would depend on how far they graze from the water source. If it is readily close they will take turns coming to the water. If they have to walk a good distance they generally all come at once. Do they all come up and push each other to get a drink now? I have used a 20 gallon cooler with a garden hose and float in a 5 acre paddock with 15 cows before in a pinch. They used it one at a time.

 

[Jogeephus]

The problem I think you will run into is if the cattle all go to it at the same time and empty it. Then there will be some nut cow that decides to get into the tank or knock it over or headbutt it or do some other stupid thing and tear up something and this will never happen when you are around only when you are at least 70 miles away and when you get home your pasture will be flooded and your electric bill high. You probably can make it work but its not the idiot-proof and cows are idiots.

 

[dun]

For 20 head 100 gallons is kind of marginal, 150 would be better. If they all come at once you have a problems unless you have enough room (about 18 inches) of linear space per cow.

 

[grubbie]

We are running 50 head in one pasture, they all have to travel a mile if they are at the other end of the pasture. While we have a 9 foot round tank there, it serves 4 different areas. So, there is only room for 2 or 3 to drink at a time in their current pasture. They all come in at once usually, and they take turns. You won't have a problem. When they are thirsty, they will wait until they get their turn before heading back out. As long as your water supply can keep up, you will be fine.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

put 3 or 4 posts in the ground right next to the trough and tie them together so if they do drink it down they won't be as able to move things and tear up valves/pipes etc. I would also use pipe instead of hose, buried and steel where it comes up out of the ground - also tied to a post.

One inch pipe and a hudson valve works good if your water is clean. those things are great for good flow in a small trough, but a speck of rust or dirt will make them leak.