Watering cows in the winter

[OwnedByTheCow]

My boss wants to winter the cows next year on a property a mile or two away. I need to figure out a way to water them throughout the winter without the water freezing over. The temperature can dip below -20 and I'm not sure if a running stream will be an option. I'm at a loss for ideas. :help:

 

[TN Cattle Man]

Is there a well on the property or another type of water source (city water)? You could always invest in an automatic waterer like a Ritchie that would be frost free. It will take a little investment up front with plumbing the lines and setting it up correctly, but once you do it is a "worry free" way to water your cattle.

 

[TCRanch]

In one of our pastures we break ice. Builds muscle & character. The other pastures have either a spring/running stream, well with a stock tank or the aforementioned Ritchie waterer. For the well/stock tank we keep an automatic ceramic heater inside the well house so the pipes don't freeze & wrapped electrical heating tape (like on the Ritchie) on the outside pipes plus a de-icer. That said, when the wind chill recently hit -13 the running stream was completely frozen so definitely would not rely on that as your only water source.

 

[wacocowboy]

I hate 100 degree heat but I am glad I don't have winters like y'all.

 

[Nesikep]

I hate 100 degree heat but I am glad I don't have winters like y'all.

I get both!

Honestly, it sounds like that pasture isn't worth the bother to overwinter the cows on.

 

[Ryder]

Maybe say, "Hey Mr. Boss. How do you expect these cows to get water?"

 

[jedstivers]

What is the water source and is there electricity?
What can be spent? Lot of variables need answered before you get answers.

 

[wbvs58]

Yep, most problems can be solved with money.

Ken

 

[jkwilson]

If you have a stream with enough depth, you could bury a bucket of gravel and run a siphon. I ran a tank on a siphon for many years. I plumbed a garden hose into the drain plug and let the water run over one end. Ran that way for many years with no heat at all and never had to restart it except early on when crawdads would clog the hose before I got a strainer on it. The tank would ice at the end away from the flow, but never all the way across.

Easiest solution is to use that pasture during the summer and put them someplace with water during the winter.