Ponds

[Brute 23]

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:

Who makes yalls signs? Must get them from the northern side.

 

[dun]

The signs are a great idea, now all I need to do is teach the cows to read. I'm assuming the can;t read since they've apparantly never read any of the books on proper cow behaviour

 

[Limomike]

wow dun, I thought you might have already taught yours to read. :lol: :lol:
After all, mine have been reading my "signs" for quite a while..
hold up a feed bag...and they "read" that as: come here and eat!!!

 

[dun]

wow dun, I thought you might have already taught yours to read. :lol: :lol:
After all, mine have been reading my "signs" for quite a while..
hold up a feed bag...and they "read" that as: come here and eat!!!

I gave up teaching them when I saw the bull reading the cattle futures and was holding out for better working conditions. Next I was afraid he'ld get the girls unionized

 

[3MR]

Wow, I am rolling in my chair. I never thought the sign post would get so many hillarious responses.

 

[LFF]

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

Dun when you had a cow to die in the pond were they often larger and heavier than the others? If one died in the pond what are some indicators that they drowned instead of dieing from something else? Once they were dead did they float free of the muck?

Thanks

 

[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

Dun when you had a cow to die in the pond were they often larger and heavier than the others? If one died in the pond what are some indicators that they drowned instead of dieing from something else? Once they were dead did they float free of the muck?

Thanks

hey weren;t my cows but they appeared to be just like all the others. Moderate condition and feeding decent calves. The reason hey died was because they got mired and struggled till exhaustion then drowned, I'm assuming they drowned. Saw the same thing at the same farm with calves. Tey may have floated free ifwe'ld left them a couple of days but they were stuck fast in the muck when we dragged them out.

 

[BAGTIC]

Best solution is to fence the pond in and run a waterline to a trough or waterer outside the fence.