Build man-made creek/fountain for grazers in my yard?

gabbyraja · #1 07/07/12, 11:35 AM

Is this a stupid idea?

When we were looking for a house I was trying very desperately to find a house that had a creek. Running water, frogs, fun for the kids and possible water supply for the sheep (3-6 sheep for family use). We couldn't get a creek.

People who have "yards" and "lawns" put in fountains that look like creeks and flow downhill, and so on. Think I could put something like this in for sound, beauty, kids to play with/in and let animals drink from it, too? Is that crazy? Anyone have ideas/instructions/you tube how-to videos/etc?

||Downhome|| · #2 07/07/12, 12:02 PM

I had on at my last house.

Maybe ten long about two wide and snaked back and forth.

Was in front and I laid a herringbone walk with large patio block, and built a bridge across the stream to the porch.

It was nice to sit on the porch and listin the the water fall and stream.

was load enough to drown out the neighbors noise too....

for you plan I would have a float valve to maintain water level.

texican · #3 07/07/12, 12:17 PM

Trouble with creeks 'nearby'.... they can go dry, or worse, flood!

gabbyraja · #4 07/07/12, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by texican

Trouble with creeks 'nearby'.... they can go dry, or worse, flood!

Ha, yeah, maybe it was a blessing after all, huh? We decided it was because we didn't have to worry about any of the children drowning in it. With a fountain stream we could monitor them better, and decide when they are old enough to put it in.

ronbre · #5 07/07/12, 03:25 PM

best to only do if you have a good quality clay in your soil that will hold water..as if you use a liner, animals will tear it.

Bearfootfarm · #6 07/07/12, 08:33 PM

Animals would turn it into a muddy mess, and you REALLY don't want sheep in your yard all the time

Plowpoint · #7 07/08/12, 06:05 AM

For commercial farmers who abide by USDA best management practices; we are not allowed to have livestock drink directly from water sources like streams and ponds for the reasons already cited. Instead the natural body of water is fenced off, and then water is pumped from that body of water to a stock watering tank so the animals can get water, without actually pooing or otherwise disturbing the body of water and potentially contaminating the aquifer.

I do not think your question is dumb though, it is a legitimate concern for your animals. But livestock make a mess of natural bodies of water, it would probably be disappointing to build something, only to have them destroy it.

gabbyraja · #8 07/08/12, 11:29 AM

I just watched a youtube presentation by Greg Judy. He has his cattle drinking from ponds. They put a hot wire around it so that the cattle can only get their heads into it, not their bodies. This is kinda what sparked me to ask, as I'd always read they would "play" in water and muck it up. Now, I don't know if there is hot wire that would keep sheep out of anything, and I don't know if I'd want to mess around with that, anyway, for a handful of sheep... But thought maybe if it was not deep or wide they might not be getting in it all the time...

fantasymaker · #9 07/08/12, 07:24 PM

I saw something I think would work great for you. Think of building a nice meandering sidewalk with a small curb on each side.
I think the one I saw had a 4 inch side wall. In some places there were steps with a little ledge say about a inch deep.
The whole thing had about a inch of round rock and sand in the bottom.
with the pump turned off it was a nice walkway ,with it on it was a creek.