sprinklers and cattle

[Dixieangus]

Boy is it hot, and dry. I know we aint in a drought like some of yall but its still dry. My pond is a small one and the cattle will get up to the top of the neck in it. They have shade from a few trees all day long (not a thicket or anything but just a few trees). I went down to the pond today and felt of it and IT WAS HOT didnt go out deep in it or anything so it may be better deeper out. My question is if i put up a sprinkler would it make the calves sick? thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Mine shy away from the irrigation heads when they're running.

 

[Dixieangus]

ill hook it up, just bout a timer so if they want under it they can.

 

[Dixieangus]

thanks for the input hooknline, anyone else?

 

[dun]

I've seen misters used on the patio at a couple of dairys. To me it seemed to be worse becuase the humidity was so much higher

 

[novatech]

We have installed mister on many home patios for people and a couple in horse barns. Don't see why it wouldn't work for cows. The theory is that it works because of fast evaporation, cooling the air. Like the evaporation of swet on the body. They claim it can drop the temps by 35 degrees.

 

[TexasBred]

I've seen misters used on the patio at a couple of dairys. To me it seemed to be worse becuase the humidity was so much higher

Yep..you just create a sauna unless you have some moving air to increase evaporation and move the heat away.

 

[Dixieangus]

I've seen misters used on the patio at a couple of dairys. To me it seemed to be worse becuase the humidity was so much higher

Yep..you just create a sauna unless you have some moving are to increase evaporation and move the heat away.

I see your point TB, but mine is no mister its a cheap 3 dollsar sprinkler. My theory is cold water hitting skin cools them off, just like a pond. But my pond is hot! :nod:. if anything it will water a little bit of grass.

 

[TexasBred]

I've seen misters used on the patio at a couple of dairys. To me it seemed to be worse becuase the humidity was so much higher

Yep..you just create a sauna unless you have some moving are to increase evaporation and move the heat away.

I see your point TB, but mine is no mister its a cheap 3 dollsar sprinkler. My theory is cold water hitting skin cools them off, just like a pond. But my pond is hot! :nod:. if anything it will water a little bit of grass.

Sure the pond may be pretty warm BUT when they come out of it and even the "hot" air hits them they cool down some...the sprinkler is a "poor boy" way of doing it (I've done it)...just try to find a way to keep the air moving around and thru them.

 

[dun]

Depending on the number of head and the area that you're running the spinklers you may end up with a real quagmire

 

[Anonymous]

I'm telling you, they don't like it when the water from the sprinklers hit them. They'll stay away from it.its not like rain where they can't go anywhere. But maybe yours are different

 

[TexasBred]

I'm telling you, they don't like it when the water from the sprinklers hit them. They'll stay away from it.its not like rain where they can't go anywhere. But maybe yours are different

They learn. Have a friend with a dairy. In this heat we're having I guarantee you every cow on the place is grazing under the irrigation pivot as it rotates. Fresh groceries and air conditioning. ;-)

 

[Gunner]

I have been running a sprinkler to "try" to grow grass for some early weaned calves to have something better to eat than my hay. The calves avoid it, my wife's horse stays in it.

 

[Dixieangus]

Well i set it up. Dont know if they used it but its there, and at least some grass is getting the goodness of it

 

[novatech]

Well i set it up. Dont know if they used it but its there, and at least some grass is getting the goodness of it

Around the edges of the mud hole that will be produced you will have grass. Granted a sprinkler is cheap iniatially, until you add the cost of pumping water or buying it. A mist system usies very little water and does not have to have a fan. The ones with a fan are more like a swamp cooler.
Here is a link as to how they work.
"Misting systems
Misting systems work by forcing water via a high pressure pump and tubing through a brass or stainless steel mist nozzle that has an orifice of about 5 micrometres, thereby producing a micro-fine mist. The water droplets that create the mist are so small that they instantly flash evaporate. Flash evaporation can reduce the surrounding air temperature by as much as 35 F° (20 C°) in just seconds.[7] For patio systems, it is ideal to mount the mist line approximately 8 to 10 feet (2.4 to 3.0 m) above the ground for optimum cooling. Misting is used for applications such as flowerbeds, pets, livestock, kennels, insect control, odor control, zoos, veterinary clinics, produce cooling and greenhouses."
The savings in water/electricity would justify the expense.
Another way is to build them a shade house.
Letting cattle soak in a stock tank is OK as long as the bottom stays hard enough so they don't bog down. At one of my pastures that I lease out we are having to fence off the tank. The cattle are now bogging down half way up their sides and are having trouble getting out. The tank is spring fed so there is still water, although the spring has slowed way down. He will now have to pump the water out to a trough.

 

[TexasBred]

In theory misting sounds great....in reality it creates more problems with cattle than it cures. Especially cattle that are crowded into a small facility. You need enough water to not only wet the hair but also soak the skin...and the evaporation from the skin is where you get the cooling effect.

 

[novatech]

In theory misting sounds great....in reality it creates more problems with cattle than it cures.Not therory it has been used for years. Especially cattle that are crowded into a small facility. It would not raise the humidity level any more than soaking them down if that is what you are refering to.You need enough water to not only wet the hair but also soak the skin...and the evaporation from the skin is where you get the cooling effect.The heat is transfered to the water and evaporates turning into steam and carried off. The exact same thing happens with the mist except you are cooling the air.

The misting reduces the air temp. which in turn reduces the heat stress on the cow. In a high humidity condition misting woud not be very effective.

 

[TexasBred]

In theory misting sounds great....in reality it creates more problems with cattle than it cures.Not therory it has been used for years. Especially cattle that are crowded into a small facility. It would not raise the humidity level any more than soaking them down if that is what you are refering to.You need enough water to not only wet the hair but also soak the skin...and the evaporation from the skin is where you get the cooling effect.The heat is transfered to the water and evaporates turning into steam and carried off. The exact same thing happens with the mist except you are cooling the air.

The misting reduces the air temp. which in turn reduces the heat stress on the cow. In a high humidity condition misting woud not be very effective.

Hard to have misting without having high humidy also..Now if you want to stand in the pasture with a mister on one it might cool that one but on a group of cows held closely "mist" DOES NOT WORK. If you must use water use heavy water. You are not trying to cool the air but rather the skin. Do some research on cooling dairy cattle or talk to people that have tried it. I have used it and you must have larger beadlets of water AND moving air. If you can have one take the moving air. Now I know we're really not necessarily talking dairy here but cows are cows and water is water.

http://cdp.wisc.edu/pdf/spray.pdf

 

[Dixieangus]

The sprinkler is on a timer that cuts on at 12 and runs till 4. Dont know how much water its using but will soon find out. Too add i move the sprinkler so it wont get all boggy

 

[novatech]

Hard to have misting without having high humidy also..Again it would not work in a high humidity condition. It works relitive to the ambient humidity level. Anything above 30% is not feasable. I would think more than one misting head would be in order. A fan would even be better. If you must use water use heavy water. You are not trying to cool the air but rather the skin. Then why have AC in your house? Do some research on cooling dairy cattle or talk to people that have tried it. Around here they have been using mist for years. All you have to do is go to a livestock show. They are cooling both cattle and people.I have used it and you must have larger beadlets of water AND moving air. If you can have one take the moving air. Now I know we're really not necessarily talking dairy here but cows are cows and water is water.
I did the research as advised. The recomended rate of water to be used at 87 degrees and above is .35 gallons every 5 minutes. Which is 33.6 gallons per 8 hour day, per cow. Not very economical for a beef cow. It would not take long at that rate to justify a pole structure with shade cloth, that is if ther were not already trees available.

http://cdp.wisc.edu/pdf/spray.pdf