Water trough pad

[denoginnizer]

What works good to put on top of the geo-textile fabric when construting a watering pad. I have heard clay/gravel mix, limerock , and Churd whatever that is?
Someone told me that concrete trucks will bring there "washout" for free . Several people said the washout stuff worked great but I havent seen it yet.
What worked for you?

 

[Herefordcross]

concrete off the truck has worked the best for us and we don't use the fabric we use plenty of rebar, pieces of fence and any other metal item that can possibly be used as reinforcement without being large enough to weaken the concrete.

 

[Crowderfarms]

Crusher Run. It packs down like concrete and will hold its own, when placed over the Geo-Textile fabric.

 

[Nowland Farms]

Like Crowder, I use crusher run on top of the geo-textile fabric.

Set up hard as a rock, no mud.

 

[Crowderfarms]

One more note worthy of mention, is to dig out an area about 30X30', 6-8" deep. Cattle as you probably know, will loaf and congregate around the troughs. Set your fabric down, and then fill the 30x30 area a little higher than ground level with Crusher Run to allow settling, and you have a mud proof watering area, and erosion resistant.

 

[cowsense]

We've built up remote pasture areas around large miner tire troughs; we build up and backslope with clay and rake in bentonite (drillers mud) on top; sets up hard and lasts a long time; not quite as good as concrete but it would be almost impossible to haul gravel and cement in to these places!

 

[cypressfarms]

Deno,

The NRCS recommends 6" to 8" of limestone extending around 8 feet out from the water trough. The trough should be slightly elevated, with the limestone gradually sloping down. The requires some dirt work, especially around the 8 foot perimeter. If you would like, I can send you the spec. sheet on it.

 

[Crowderfarms]

Deno,

The NRCS recommends 6" to 8" of limestone extending around 8 feet out from the water trough. The trough should be slightly elevated, with the limestone gradually sloping down. The requires some dirt work, especially around the 8 foot perimeter. If you would like, I can send you the spec. sheet on it.

NRCS wants a 30x30 area here.That's IF you can find a level area that size...around here that's tough.

 

[Nowland Farms]

The NRCS here wants min of 10' from the edge of the trough out to the edge of the geo-textile fabric

 

[C & C Land & Catt]

There is a cement company about 15 miles from my house and they give the cement wash away. I just take my old end dump up and load bring it home and level it immediatly and let it sit for a week. It also works great for roads or just mudholes. Make sure whatever u haul it in get cleaned out b/c it will set up hard. I really like this stuff but it can be a little dusty.

 

[cypressfarms]

The NRCS here wants min of 10' from the edge of the trough out to the edge of the geo-textile fabric

I can't figure out why the NRCS would want Crowder to have 30 x 30, you to have 10' and me to have 8'.... Well, I can understand them not liking Crowder ;-) . Seriously, I wonder if the region / geography has anything to do with there specs.

Very flat land here, maybe that has something to do with it???

 

[Nowland Farms]

Cypress,

I was thinking the same thing. About 3 years ago I installed 2 Freedom Fountains made by Behlen Country under a program assisted by the NCRS. The 10' rule applied to any side of the water that the cows had access to. Since my waters straddle a fence line to serve 2 paddocks, I ended up with about 22' wide. Not much different than Crowders. Maybe Crowders cows just stand around and drink water more than mine. Huh? :lol:

 

[EIEIO]

Interesting, checked my NRCS guidlines today and our cement pad is to only extend out 2 feet from the waterer and then an additional 2 feet of crushed rock is then to extend out from the edge of the concrete.

Was told the reason is so the cattle don't find the area "compfortable" and will get up, get a drink, then leave, and there won't be no "water hogs" blocking access so all the cattle can have their turns.

J

 

[TheBullLady]

We've used limestone and sand.. like limestone the best so far. Both were used two years ago.