Supplying water for MiG systems

[apical meristem]

For those that do Management intensive grazing, how do you supply your herd water? Do you use temporary or permanent piping? Anyone out there MiG on a lease? How do you do it? Does anyone out there use a pump and temporary piping? I am curious how this is done, especially supplying water to temporary paddocks that shift every few days and that may not be right next to a creek or pond.

 

[SRBeef]

The range of answers to your question will vary widely by climate/severity of the winter. You do not provide a clue as to where you are located. Answer also depends on how often you will be there to check on it.

In WI I used temporary piping for awhile and that was a nightmare. After a year of this I bit the bullet and had a contractor bury a permanent waterline and electric wire from my well to a single permanent waterer on a concrete pad and that has been a pleasure.

At least in my situation, having lanes to a single well-done watering point is better than scattering water over a number of locations. Depends on your field layout, water source etc. This may be especially true as you go further north.

 

[dun]

We water the back pastures either with temp polypipe and protable tanks or buried frost free waterers supplied by ponds. We set the paddocks up so that one waterpoint can serve multiple paddocks with a little creative temp hotwire.

 

[nap]

For my MIG system I have permanently divided paddocks with high tensile wire. I then subdivide with movable polywire. I tried to lay out the paddocks so that I could subdivide across a pond thus providing water for both paddocks. If that still doesn't do the trick I will construct a tempory run way to water using polywire. It is a very simple and cheap method for solving my water problem and seems to be working well.

 

[apical meristem]

The range of answers to your question will vary widely by climate/severity of the winter. You do not provide a clue as to where you are located. Answer also depends on how often you will be there to check on it.

In WI I used temporary piping for awhile and that was a nightmare. After a year of this I bit the bullet and had a contractor bury a permanent waterline and electric wire from my well to a single permanent waterer on a concrete pad and that has been a pleasure.

At least in my situation, having lanes to a single well-done watering point is better than scattering water over a number of locations. Depends on your field layout, water source etc. This may be especially true as you go further north.

Okay. I'm in Texas, so I don't have to worry too much about freezing. It does happen, but not enough to preclude temporary piping over ground. I should be able to check on it daily. I am rotationally grazing cattle on larger pastures, but my goal is to MIG sheep on 2-3 acre paddocks using temporary electronet. The paddock size will vary a little bit according to the quantity of the pasture, but they will be on a 3 day rotation. I don't want something permanent, as I am planning to grow from what I have now.

 

[apical meristem]

We water the back pastures either with temp polypipe and protable tanks or buried frost free waterers supplied by ponds. We set the paddocks up so that one waterpoint can serve multiple paddocks with a little creative temp hotwire.

Okay, dun, who makes the polypipe and where did you get it? How much did it cost ( higher now, I'm sure)? What kinds of pumps (brand, power rating, gallons per minute) do you use and how do you power them? I assume they have filters on them.

Is it these guys? http://www.polypipeinc.com/ Which type of pipe? Rated for low pressure? Does it hurt it if the cows step on it? What kind of valve do you use to hook the water point into the pipeline? Do you have an automatic shutoff valve on the water point as well?

 

[dun]

I don;t have the tags anymore from the poly we put in. Any of the thickwall flexible stuff should work. I got our from the county NRCS office, had it drop shipped. It runs right off the main well that provides water to the house, barn, waterers, etc., runs around 100psi. I use the little goant floats at the tanks and a pressure regulating valve. By the time that 100psi goes down another 100 feet, even with friction lose in the pipe, most of the valves will leak without pressure reduction. For the back side I have regular spigots spaced along the polypipe at intervals that I can use to set a tank. To supply the poly I come off of a main water line at a freezeproof hydraunt through a high pressure washing machine house and take it off at the tanks wityh the same type of hose with the pressure regulator. It's one ofthose deals that takes 10 minutes to explain but about 30 seconds to show.

 

[Bluestem]

For my MIG system I have permanently divided paddocks with high tensile wire. I then subdivide with movable polywire. I tried to lay out the paddocks so that I could subdivide across a pond thus providing water for both paddocks. If that still doesn't do the trick I will construct a tempory run way to water using polywire. It is a very simple and cheap method for solving my water problem and seems to be working well.[/quote

For my MIG system I have permanently divided paddocks with high tensile wire. I then subdivide with movable polywire. I tried to lay out the paddocks so that I could subdivide across a pond thus providing water for both paddocks. If that still doesn't do the trick I will construct a tempory run way to water using polywire. It is a very simple and cheap method for solving my water problem and seems to be working well.

I would consider fencing the pond. Pumping all the water from the pond to the paddock. Improves water quality and cattle health.

 

[dun]

I would consider fencing the pond. Pumping all the water from the pond to the paddock. Improves water quality and cattle health.

I'll second this. We put a pipe through the damn on the backmost pasture and buried a freezeproof waterer conected to it.