Ponds

[MissouriExile]

Do small ponds pose a danger to cattle?
I know it's not good for the pond if cattle wade in it. Neither of my two small ponds are deep enough for a cow to get in over their head.

Jon

 

[3MR]

Depends on the pond bottom. I wouldnt worry about them drowing. Cows can swim. Its not a good idea to let the cows into the pond. They will defecate in the same water at the same time the are drinking. They arent the smartest animal in the world. Bacteria can build up and cause you all kinds of problems.

With that said, at this time I dont have my ponds fenced off. Some of them are 1/2 acre plus and defenitely over a cows head. I havent had any pond related problems yet, but I also have fresh water available for them. If I could fence them off I would.

 

[Lammie]

We are really thinking of creating a pond on our back pasture where there's a natural wash. Seems like just the place for it. I grew up around stock ponds and I don't remember anything getting injured. I can see where it would happen. When I was a kid my dad managed a ranch for a local doctor and "Doc" stocked the bigger ponds with bass. I used to fish with a cane pole and the minute the cork hit the water, you got a strike.

Spoiled me on fishing forever. I don't have the patience.

 

[dun]

The age and the use of the pond "can" make them dangerous. I've had to fish dead cows out of a pond because of them getting mired in the muck (polite term) acumulated on the bottom. We have some ponds on this place that were dug 50-75 years ago and at one time where 20-30 foot deep. When we started cleaning them they were only about 2 foot deep because of the accumulated muck. Yaers of sediment, hoof washing, crap, etc will form an interesting layer of material that's hardto pull free off. We've put waer lines out throguh or under the dam with freezeproof waterers well below the dams and fence the cows out entirely from the ponds.
If we had to water straight from ponds I'ld fence off a small aera that they could reach the water then rock it in with a foot of 2 inch rock. The theory being that they wont loiter because it's uncomfortable standing on the rocks

 

[pbnewbie]

we lost several cows last year to ponds, so I think they are very dangerous! That's why I'm starting my herd over again in a very benign former horse pasture and they will have city water until I can get my ponds safe enough.

 

[twabscs]

we lost several cows last year to ponds, so I think they are very dangerous! ...

What happened, did they drown, fall thru the ice?

I have three ponds that my cows use to cool off in during the summer heat. Haven't had a problem yet so just wondering.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

we lost several cows last year to ponds, so I think they are very dangerous! ...

What happened, did they drown, fall thru the ice?

While I am not pbnewbie, I have known of cows to get bogged down in the muck. So bogged down, up to their backs, they cannot get out. They become exhausted and will often die even if they are pulled out.

Katherine

 

[Fred]

A weak cow is more likely to get bogged down in a pond and not be strong enough to get out.

 

[Mahoney Pursley Ranch]

While everything that has been said is true most of us have no choice for a water source for our cattle. I have 3 stock tanks (ponds) for my cattle. Most everyone around here is in the same boat. Can not afford water company for the livestock. The only problems I have heard of was cows getting mired down in the tank last year during the drought when they turned to mud holes.

 

[TheBullLady]

If you're in the lovely "Blackland prairie", you're stock tanks will undoubtably get silted in over the years. You have to figure you're going to get to have them cleaned out every 8 or 10 years at least.

Luckily that's what the "other half" does for a living. Last year was a great year to clean tanks, because everything was so dry.

 

[Limomike]

Last summer was also a good time to "rework" the ponds, since they were all so low. We did that to both of our ponds, and now they have better sides, and the edges are not soft either. Never had a cow get stuck in any of the ponds ....yet.
I know it happens.. I think we just have been fortunate.

 

[Earl Thigpen]

Holy cow, folks. I can certainly see where an animal might get mired down in a tank (pond) and die but I have never heard of an animal dieing from drinking the water. My gosh folks, we've ran cattle for more than a sixty years on the same ranch and same tanks (ponds) and never lost one to anything that was attributed to the water, whether from drinking or wading. In fact, I swam in the ponds when growing up and never had any problems - but I didn't drink the water.

I think this may get back to taking care of your animals, vacinating, worming, etc. on a regular basis. My animals are healthy and they drink from stock ponds. And yes, I do provide clean, fresh water but the only time they drink it is when they are grazing in the area and when they haven't torn up the automatic valve.

 

[Victoria]

The winter pasture for the pregnant cows has waterers but when it is summer they spend a lot of time drinking out of springs and ponds. One pond is in the same pasture as their waterer and so very few drink from the waterer over the summer. The pond down at my end of the ranch is the only source of water for the cows in the summer. Well, I guess that isn't true they could walk back home but they are too lazy for that. Cows have been drinking from ponds here for over 60 years and we have only had one pond/spring related death. We used to winter the bulls down where I currently live and chop a hole in the ice for them to drink. It was a cold winter and the ice got thicker and thicker, the water got lower and lower. We had three bulls wintering together and one of them had his head in drinking when his buddy decided to push him and broke his neck. We've never had one stuck in a pond and our cows and calves wade right in. I guess there is a danger too it but we've lost more to bloat from having them lay down and not be able to get up than we have to ponds.

 

[Gate Opener]

My dad and grandfather had cows that drank from the ponds and they never lost one because of it.

My friends and I swam in our ponds also. We had a blast.

 

[3MR]

I swim in one of my ponds all the time, so do my relatives.

 

[dun]

There are ponds and then there are ponds. A large enough pond there isn;t much of any issue with sanitation of the water. But a 2-3 foot deep pond that's 30 foot across can be a disaster. I've seen ponds around here that are so fooul that you can smell them a 100 yds away. Not surprisingly the cows don;t drink from them very much and they're sick/scrawny looking most of the time. A friend of ours has a 3 acre pond, waters clear and sweet. Most people don;t have those 2 extremes, but they do exist and I'm afraid more lean towards the former then the latter.

 

[3MR]

We call 3 acres of water in one place a Lake around here. :lol:

 

[Brute 23]

This is rediculous. We have had tanks and creeks on our properties for ever. Every few years a cow will get stuck in the mud but the are usually old and weak by then anyways.

If cows are getting stuck pretty often then the bottom needs to be cleaned out.

Here when it gets hot the cows will be just standing in the tank. All you can see is their heads.

I totally agree with dun. Size is probably a definate factor as to sanitation.

 

[3MR]

Here in Oklahoma we just put signs next to the ponds with soft bottoms warning our cows to be careful. So far that has worked fine. I could see how that might be problamatic in Texas though. :lol:

 

[Workinonit Farm]

We have a small pond on this place, which has come in real handy at times like these when its been way too dry for way too long. I have never had any problems with my cows using this pond.

A friend of ours has 3 ponds on his place, he has lost 2 calves and one cow to one of those ponds over the last few years. The pond needs to be cleaned out.

Katherine