Livestock water tanks

[Sir Loin]

Livestock water tanks

I am considering taking my cattle off pond water and putting them on a heated tank, supplied by our public water supply.
What make/model heated tank/water do you suggest I consider using?
SL

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

You are now just stirring the pot Sir Loin.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

How many head will be serviced by this system?

 

[Sir Loin]

TennesseeTuxedo

Wrong
I am trying to find a recommendation as to what make/model to use if I decide to change over.
As I am on city water the next logical step for me to research is the tank instead of a well, don't ya think?

Hey, I'm open minded and I'm doing my research.
If I decide to do it I need to know about the tanks, don't you think.

Do you have one?
Is so, how is it working out for you?
What is the make and model? Do they have a web site?
What are the pros and cons for your unit?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
SL

 

[Sir Loin]

Kathie in Thorp

How many head will be serviced by this system?

That is hard to say, it all depends on how my investment money holds out.
No money, no cattle.

I am presently negotiating on a 40 ac peace with a pond, it is fenced on two side so I will have to fence the other two sides. Therefore I will not take it if it is not a 10 year lease.
I decided I would only buy weaned calves. Hopefully I can afford 25 the first year and grow to 100 next year if I get the 20 ac hay field I am also negotiating on hay will not be a problem. .
So lets say a hundred head system.
SL

 

[Lon]

Kathie in Thorp

How many head will be serviced by this system?

That is hard to say, it all depends on how my investment money holds out.
No money, no cattle.

I am presently negotiating on a 40 ac peace with a pond, it is fenced on two side so I will have to fence the other two sides. Therefore I will not take it if it is not a 10 year lease.
I decided I would only buy weaned calves. Hopefully I can afford 25 the first year and grow to 100 next year if I get the 20 ac hay field I am also negotiating on hay will not be a problem. .
So lets say a hundred head system.
SL

I thought you raised calves to weaning? Was that a different poster i was reading or was that you. It was mentioning pocket to pocket acounting with a cigar box and having a 8% ROI. if was you what struck the want for a change from that buying weaned calves and raising them. Also how are you going to raise them like in what sense are you going to start putting feed to them and take them straight to slaughter or are you thinking rough them threw winter than put them on grass as yearlings than feeding them out or selling at that point? what direction are you going? Also around here we would take that piece of ground if we had to fence the whole thing even if there was a chance of loosing it in a year or 5 would be almost the longest on alot of lease ground. just take the fence when you leave. only thing is the only 40 acre part would stop it from getting rented in this country put 40 acres dont run much around here i assumeing your is way different in that sense.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

We have several Ritchie dual service waterers positioned along fence rows to take care of cattle on either side of the fence. We also have several ponds but after what I've read here and in other articles I think we need to restrict access to them in the future.

Stir on my friend, stir on.

 

[Goodlife]

I have a question to add to this thread.

Well or Public Water? Our wells in this water have too much silt in them so we pretty much all use public water for our houses if it is available (which it is for me). For 15 head of cattle, 2 horses, and a large garden, would you:

A) Use the public water since it is already run even though it will raise your water bill
B) Dig a well for livestock and garden use (I have been told around here by neighbors that it is $10k-$15k to dig a well. Not sure if that includes a pump?)
C) Dig a pond and run water lines to the pond with a pump to water the livestock

Don't mean to be a highjacker SL, just seems like this would go along with your question.

 

[1wlimo]

There are a lot of different ways to give cattle access to water,

The nose pump, direct from pond or stream, and easy to move http://www.riferam.com/pasture/index.html

solar pumps and tanks http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Wa ... umping.htm

you could use a ply, cement, or metal tank and ball valve from a pressure supply. or attached to a tanker, filed from a tanker. There are quick couplers that allow you to move the tank from one pace to another to allow easy movement in rotational grazing systems.

As for a water source, is your pond reliable? If so then a wind, or solar pump may provide a good alternative to a well or town water. As to if a well is cheaper than town water, it is talk to your local well people and number crunch.

 

[Douglas]

My well cost about 6 grand and one year on public water for 25 adult cows would have been about half that cost to me per year. Public water i would suspect is a last resort for large animals. There is a lot of info out there in the interwebs about how much water animals drink per day based on the air temp.

I have a question to add to this thread.

Well or Public Water? Our wells in this water have too much silt in them so we pretty much all use public water for our houses if it is available (which it is for me). For 15 head of cattle, 2 horses, and a large garden, would you:

A) Use the public water since it is already run even though it will raise your water bill
B) Dig a well for livestock and garden use (I have been told around here by neighbors that it is $10k-$15k to dig a well. Not sure if that includes a pump?)
C) Dig a pond and run water lines to the pond with a pump to water the livestock

Don't mean to be a highjacker SL, just seems like this would go along with your question.

 

[Sir Loin]

Lon

To make a long story short.
Yes you have the right person and I am going to continue my baby calf operation.

But a new offer has come in last month that I am giving serious consideration too.

I was handed, not solicited, this offer:
A $25,000 unsecured line of credit except for the cattle I buy with it, with APR of only 5% interest .
That is hard to turn down!!

So I started looking for property to rent to take advantage of this unbelievable offer.
I found 2 properties:

One is about 40 ac and is fenced on two sides only and has a pond for water.
Would make a fairly good pasture or could be made for grass hay.
I know this one can be had for taxes and bush hogging what is not used. I bush hogged it all last year.
, but with a lease of only 5 years, as it is for sale.
This one has a well, pump and electricity.

I am in negotiations for the own to finish the perimeter fence at his cost and I will do 1 cross fence at my cost. Hence: he need for a waterer.

Property 2 is around 20 ac, no fencing no water source or electric.
I know this one can be had for $6 per ac, but no lease as it is for sale.
Would be used for hay only.

I would show you pics but I can't find any good ones on Google. Any suggestion?


SL

 

[1wlimo]

Lon

To make a long story short.
Yes you have the right person and I am going to continue my baby calf operation.

But a new offer has come in last month that I am giving serious consideration too.

I was handed, not solicited, this offer:
A $25,000 unsecured line of credit except for the cattle I buy with it, with APR of only 5% interest .
That is hard to turn down!!

So I started looking for property to rent to take advantage of this unbelievable offer.
I found 2 properties:

One is about 40 ac and is fenced on two sides only and has a pond for water.
Would make a fairly good pasture or could be made for grass hay.
I know this one can be had for taxes and bush hogging what is not used. I bush hogged it all last year.
, but with a lease of only 5 years, as it is for sale.
This one has a well, pump and electricity.

I am in negotiations for the own to finish the perimeter fence at his cost and I will do 1 cross fence at my cost. Hence: he need for a waterer.

Property 2 is around 20 ac, no fencing no water source or electric.
I know this one can be had for $6 per ac, but no lease as it is for sale.
Would be used for hay only.

I would show you pics but I can't find any good ones on Google. Any suggestion?
SL

How about leaving out the internal fence, use two temporary electric fences with tred in posts to rotational graze, leaving a pathway to the pond where you have a solar pump into a water tank?

Depends where the pond is, but as an intelligent sort I am sure you could sort it out

 

[Sir Loin]

1wlimo

Re:

electric fences

I have already decided that is the way I am going, but with a T post every 100 feet or so, for add strength and the rental/lease agreement stating if I go so does the fence, if the property sells and the new owns doesn't want to buy it from me.
I want all improvement I make, to be considered my personal property not a fixture as is common real estate law.

Re:

solar pump into a water tank

Now that I hadn't considered.
Thanks!

Re:

as an intelligent sort I am sure you could sort it out

Hey, I'm open to any and all suggestions, I'm not proud.

Dam, I know there is a way to get a good aerial view on these properties as I have done it before and the person who told me how to do it back then was on this board.
Help me out people.
SL

 

[IluvABbeef]

SL: try Google Earth.

 

[Anonymous]

For a guy who is such an azz to everyone else, I'm surprised anyone answered his question.
I'm befuddled as to why anyone would go out of their way to even lift a finger to type a response.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

SL - Maybe you've already checked this out, but if not, you may want to: Will your public water source even allow you to pull water for a livestock operation? Some won't. Out here in the west, they can be pretty chintzy with public water sources, and drilling a well is akin to an act of Congress.

 

[Sir Loin]

IluvABbeef
Thank you so much!
That is exactly what I was looking for.

OK people here we go with your flyover tour of several of my perfect or not so perfect farms as I take you to the two properties I am considering.

This is your pilot speaking, welcome to Google Earth airlines. Please put seat and the try in front of you in the full upright position and fasten your seatbelts.
For those of you who are flying for the first time and are a little nerves, so am I as this is my first flight also.

Type in 368 sanders road Birchwood TN you should reach my home, under the trees.

Across sanders road from my home and N to the tree line, is where I make free hay except for 1 ac around all 3 houses seen there. Got 22 4 X 4 rounds this year.

Now look N on my side of sanders road go to the tree line, there is a road under the trees, turn left. Go to where the road comes out from under the trees and follow it until it ends. That is it. There is a building and pond on property 1.
It is rectangular shaped.
The width is the widest area you see cleared of trees.
The depth is from where you see the road coming out from under the trees which leads to the building and extends all the way back to the end on that cleared area flanked on both sides with trees.

This is your pilot speaking, Thank you for flying Google Earth airlines and our scheduled flight for property 2 will happen some time tomorrow.
Hope you enjoyed your flight.

Captain SL.
PS: You can take your seatbelts off now and let go of the armrests

 

[Sir Loin]

Kathie in Thorp


Re:

SL - Maybe you've already checked this out, but if not, you may want to: Will your public water source even allow you to pull water for a livestock operation? Some won't. Out here in the west, they can be pretty chintzy with public water sources, and drilling a well is akin to an act of Congress.

They do have a program for farm use that can save you a bundle, but, and here's the kicker. The property must be assessed as ag, not residential.
The two lots I rent/lease are assessed as residential and I haven't checked yet to see how the present owner has this property 1 assessed, as he was the second owner to get the property out of foreclosure. It was originally part of the entire/large subdivision that including the three houses across sanders road from me and all those homes you see when you turn left off of sanders road to go back to prop. 1. Including my rented/leased lots where I have my weaned calf part operation.

But thanks, good thinking.
Please Let me know if your flight turns out OK
SL

 

[Jalopy]

http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/ ... urvey.aspx
Here is another source of arial maps for property.

 

[Dave]

I have one place I siphon out of a smallish pond. I have a 1,000 galon tank and a float valve.

Another place uses nose pumps out of a creek. They will lift up to 25 feet or 100 feet horizontally. The down side is there is no reserve. You need two or more that way if one isn't working the cattle still have water. Believe me there are times when they aren't working for a number of reasons.

Ram pumps work well if you have at least 2 feet of drop to the water. They will effectively pump half the volume of water that reaches the pump.

Sling pumps work on water current. You don't need the fall that is required by a Ram pump but you do need the water to be flowing pretty good and the pump needs about 12-15 inches of water to be sitting in.

City water is more expensive than any of these options.

As to the trough itself. There are many options starting at an old bath tub and going up from there.