The Water Trough

On a hot summer day, there is nothing as satisfying as a nice, long drink of cool water.  I can remember as a kid playing in the yard.  We'd be all sweaty and stinking like little puppies.  We would line up at the water spigot and someone would turn on the water hose.  This was an exercise in patience as you would have to wait for the water to cool off.  The water that was in the hose was scalding hot from the sun and unfit to drink.  

However, as they say, "Good things come to they that wait."  The person at the head of the line would be rewarded for their patience.  Soon cool water flowed from the end of the water hose.  You could drink and drink and drink.  It was so refreshing!  Pretty soon, though, the next guy in line would nudge you and let you know it was his turn.

Animals enjoy lining up for water, too.  August 22, 2021 was an important date at the Our Maker's Acres watering hole.  Today was the first day this year that I turned on the water valve to allow water to flow to fill the trough.  All year I've refilled the trough with rain water that we captured from our rainwater catchment barrels.  We have barrels that can catch about 500 gallons of rainwater off the dripline of our roof.  This doesn't count the 730 gallons we can catch off our our barn in the back.  Up until today, rainwater provided all water for the animals.  That shows how much it has rained so far this year.  

Here is the water trough.  The small one is for the chickens.  The big one is for the cows and goats.  There is a valve so that it doesn't overfill.  Looks like a peaceful place to drink, doesn't it?

I potted and replanted a pecan tree near the water trough to provide the animals some much needed shade while they drink.  

I like to watch the cows when they come walking up to drink water.  They are panting heavily.  They don't do well with the extreme heat.  They dip their nose into the water.  They drink much differently than a dog or a cat.  They don't lap it up with their tongues.  Cows slowly take deep gulps, drawing water into their mouth.  You can watch their throats as large volumes of water go down.  The cows are happy, peaceful and refreshed.

It is amazing to watch the water level go down as they drink and the valve turns on to refill the trough.  How much do they drink?  Estimates vary, but I did read that there are many variables, but a dry cow should drink 9 - 12 gallons a day and a lactating cow should drink 30 - 40 gallons day.  Amazing!!

New Water Trough for the Animals

"Watch the little things.  A small leak will sink a great ship." - Benjamin Franklin

This is my 51st summer.  Although I still feel relatively young, increasingly I'm feeling my limitations.  Things that used to be easy to do, require more effort.  The other day I looked at a photo of a strange guy with gray hair posing for a picture with my wife and kids.  Then I realized it was me!  I'm witnessing the Second Law of Thermodynamics at work.  Things move from a state of order to disorder.  Everything is deteriorating.  Sad!

Our old water trough is not exempt.  We have a 150 gallon water trough that was given to us by a dear friend.  It is quite old, but has served us admirably over the past years.  Oh, it sprang a leak or three, but I patched the cracks with JB Water Weld and the leak sealed up nicely.  You can see the numerous places I've patched it over the years.

We had a hard freeze this winter.  Then as it got warmer, I noticed one day a constant drip, drip drip from the water trough.  It kept the ground muddy around the trough.  As the cows came daily to drink, they would carry off mud in their hooves.  Soon, there was a hole around the trough that collected water and the cycle repeated itself.  This is not good.  Muddy conditions are good spots for bacteria to grow.  I emptied the trough and dried it up and patched it and then refilled with water.  Still leaking!  I drained it again and found two new cracks right at the bottom.

Time for a new trough.  With a water valve on the trough, I figured that I could reduce trough capacity from 150 gallons to 100 gallons and still provide more than enough water for my cows, goats and chickens.  The birds like to fly to the edge and drink.  Sometimes they'll fall in and need rescuing.

I got the new trough at Tractor Supply. It was priced $84.99, but I had a 10% Neighbor's coupon.  Pleased with my savings, I promptly spent a fraction of the savings on an Old Fashioned Coconut Slice Candy bar to enjoy on the way home.  You know the one?  It is pink (strawberry), brown (chocolate), and white (vanilla).

I got the new trough leveled, piped and installed.  I'm hoping to get many years out of it.