anyone have an opinion on wet feeding calves?

[roughsawn]

I've been noticing that my recentyly weaned calves are more worried about eating than drinking. I water twice a day, morning and evening, but they are letting about half of it freeze, so I was considering mixing warm water with there feed, like oatmeal. Is this a good or bad idea? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I want them to make it through this ''polar vortex'' in top shape.

[sammyd]

Get an electric waterer that will keep the water warmler.

[roughsawn]

I can't do that, I have no electric over on the farm, it's my other property next door. I bring water over in 5 gallon buckets. I thought it might benefit them to wet their feed, like I do with my pigs.

[sammyd]

I would think you'd end up with a pile of frozen feed.

[G. Seddon]

Forget polar vortex! I cannot imagine trying to keep any type of livestock in the Michigan winters without access to water. I wouldn't think of doing it here in central Virginia. Scared to even ask if they have a shelter, but I hope they do. I doubt soaking down their feed will hurt them, but it might not be enough.

Have you considered a generators, insulated bucket holder, or solar water heater?

[Allen W]

I've never seen cattle eat wet feed willingly. As long as they aren't mobbing you when you bring water I would say they are satisfied.

[jwal10]

IF they are thirsty they will mob you and drink it all. Then you know you need to bring more....James

[CIW]

I use a wood/coal fired tank heater. It will keep a 16 ft. tank open for 2 days. I've built them for others who have plastic tanks. Instead of hooking them on the edge of the tank I weld pipes on each side and slide smaller diameter pipe through them to suspend the heater from.
Just build a fire in it with wood, then throw in some good sized lump coal. I restart it every other day, in the evening.
They have been using these for decades out in the Sandhills. My uncle would save his corn cobs. That along with the household trash and a little slash from the shelter belt would keep his tank open all winter.

Your only going to cause yourself problems by trying to feed mash in the winter.
Mix just a little extra mineral in the feed. It doesn't take much at all to get them to drink more.

[roughsawn]

Originally Posted by G. Seddon

Forget polar vortex! I cannot imagine trying to keep any type of livestock in the Michigan winters without access to water. I wouldn't think of doing it here in central Virginia. Scared to even ask if they have a shelter, but I hope they do. I doubt soaking down their feed will hurt them, but it might not be enough.

Have you considered a generators, insulated bucket holder, or solar water heater?

wow, dude... I can't imagine what else youre scared of if you're scared to ask a question. Where in my post did I say that they don't have access to water, I'm pretty sure I said I water them twice a day. Which exceeds gamp guidelines of 30 minutes of water or just snow in certain circumstances. And I don't think there is a bottle calf that could survive a michigan winter without shelter or at least its mother to keep warm with. I'm not in the business of throwing animals out in the elements only to watch my hard work shiver and wither away. In other words of course they have shelter, I have a sawmill, so I'd have to be a pretty crummy farmer and sawyer to let 7 calves that I raised from a day old freeze to death, for lack of shelter. I also give them fresh straw daily. To every one else thanks for the useful advice. I'm getting that it would not be wise to add water to there feed, which is probably why I couldn't find anything about it on google. I just thought maybe if it was good for the pigs it would be good for the calves. But I'll trust your advice and leave out the water. I'm going to try to rig something up like CIW made. That's pretty good idea there... I have lots of junk laying around. I haven't seen any signs of dehydration, and they don't mob me at the gate for water. I give them water first and they usually just mosey out and start drinking and by the time I get back from the truck with their grain their standing at the gate waiting.... So I think they are fine, I just have a lot invested in them and want to see them in top shape in the spring. Thanks again

[Allen W]

CIW

How big of piece of pipe are you using for the fire box, and is the tube in front to draw air to the fire?

[COWS]

My calves drink from a flowing stream and it doesn't get cold enough here for the water to freeze, so I don't have a dog in the fight about thawing ice in watering stations. However, just for information, years ago for the dairy cows we got dried beet pulp which we soaked before feeding it. Supposedly it increased milk production, but it got too expensive or didn't produce enough improvement in milk so we didn't use it long. I suppose the beet pulp was a by product of the sugar beet industry.

We also used citrus pulp from the orange producing industry which was dried chunks of orange peel and fibers. It must have gotten too expensive also, we didn't use it long, and it was nor soaked.

COWS

[Hexe]

I have no practical advice on wet feeding, but would take the frozen left-over water as a sign that they are drinking their fill and leaving the rest.

I'm in a similar position and use an insulated barrel (we wrap it with those little foam thingies that are meant to go under a sleeping bag, tied on with lots of leftover baling-string - another great use for that stuff!), it holds about 45 gallons. Every morning I fill it with warmed water, at that time there are usually anywhere between 5-15 frozen Gallons left. The water stays unfrozen all day - I know because I check. The cattle will drink some during the day and then some at night, the rest freezes solid. The next morning we start all over.

Every once in a while the barrel will be empty in the afternoon, at which point I put in another 5-10 Gallons. I never fill it up at night, since I don't want to chop ice in the morning and they have never a) run out and b) they never mob me.

I take it as a sign that I have figured out their water consumption needs per day and I'm supplying just a little bit over. We've been doing it this way for about 10 years now. In the summer I ditch the barrel and they get a big trough, supplied by a hose (can't WAIT to get there!)

Seems to me that you're in a similar position. Can you insulate your buckets?

Good luck.

P.S. Not advocating the following at all, but: my father lives way up in B.C. and he told me that around his place, NONE of the ranchers supply ANY water once there's snow on the ground! We're talking sheep, cattle (beef, not dairy) and horses. And this is not just one or two guys, no, he means EVERYBODY, with large operations. And they don't have any losses, nor do they think this is unusual. I was horrified to hear it, but who am I to say it doesn't work?

[CIW]

Allen,
I've seen some that use a 20 gallon barrel. They lay it over on its side and cut out a little flap for a door and a hole to vent the smoke. They just float it in the tank. Throw a little sand in the bottom to keep it from capsizing Put a long wire on it to keep it moored close to the side of the water tank.
The pipe that I used was 16" in diameter (schedule 80) and the chimney is 4". I think that its about 30" tall. The vent pipe that goes down the inside has 1/2" holes drilled in it every 2". It is welded a few inches off the bottom to let out any ash that may get in through the side holes. I built me a little shovel to scoop out the ash once or twice during the winter. By the way, heavier walled pipe is better to keep it from trying to float. If you only have light walled pipe to build it out of it may want to float. Just throw a little sand in the bottom for ballast. Don't use rocks. They have a tendency to blow up when heated.
They will work better in larger tanks because it takes longer to change the waters temperature 1 degree on a larger mass.
The side note is that having that warm spot to stand by, slows me down long enough to comfortably take a close look at my animals.
A long time back they used to fire these with kerosine or diesel. It was cheap and 10 gallon would last near a week.
They had a copper pipe that went clear down into the bottom of the stove. They would run a puddle in the bottom and light it. Then adjust the petcock valve on the tank to where it just slowly dripped enough to keep a small flame going. Kerosene doesn't flare like gasoline and the small pipe didn't allow the fire to run back up to the tank.

[Allen W]

CIW

Thanks, I've thought about building one but never have. It's so dry around right now I'm not for sure it would be safe. It hasn't been cold enough this winter other then a few days to need any thing to keep tanks clear. Solar pump does a good job melting a hole for them if there is enough sun.

Neighbor built one once to use LP, used a grease zerk with the check ball out for an orifice. It sounded like a jet engine when lit, he couldn't understand why his cattle wouldn't come to the tank to drink.

[solsikkefarms]

Wise man once told me if you bring them fresh water they will learn to drink what they need when it's available and before it freezes. This is how animals in the wild do it, drink what they can when they can.