Coldest day? - Water Tanks

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Fri Dec 18, 2009 9:36 am

It must have been pretty cold last night but I don't know the temperature - just thought I would mention that I had to break the ice on the water tanks this morning. In case anyone forgot to look - it may well melt off in the day anyway.

Stephanie

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Fri Dec 18, 2009 10:10 am

Forecast here in Shropshire is for freezing weather. Haven't had any snow though yet. We leave taps dripping to stop them freezing, then fill a bowser and go round filling water tanks from it. Still got 50 head out in one group so they can keep each other warm. They've got silage in ring-feeders. I like it when the ground if frozen. It's clean.

Edited By Broomcroft on 1261127431

Martin · Post by **Martin** » Fri Dec 18, 2009 2:14 pm

About six inches of snow last night and more forcast for later today. Cattle are all inside and are nice and snug. Water still ok this morning as the temperature has risen from the last two frosty days. Forcast for the weekend is for -6 or below so I expect a few difficulties then.

moomin · Post by **moomin** » Fri Dec 18, 2009 10:52 pm

Tip for for stopping outside water pipes freezing - cover with manure/deep litter. Have banked up water tanks with deep litter in past to stop freezing.
Di

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Sat Dec 19, 2009 10:28 am

I couldn't spread the muck this year because we had so much grass and didn't want to cover it. So with the frozen ground I'm thinking of doing it now on fields that are grazed right down. Might wait a bit longer till it's frozen more deeply.

Any reason why not spread now?

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Sat Dec 19, 2009 7:06 pm

On another site people have said that they are having difficulty breaking the ice on troughs for the sheep - some having to leave it until the afternoon. I keep a small, short handled, sledge hammer for breaking ice when it is very cold and the ice gets really thick.

Stephanie

marion · Post by **marion** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 5:08 pm

OK, now this thread is a few days old..I'm going to snort and guffaw....Minus 6 or so is NOT cold :laugh: 'Cold' is when the very air is frozen and takes the breath out of your throat and immobilizes your nose-hairs, and unheated water tubs freeze SOLID, and chain saws must be used to cut through the foot or two of ice on creeks and ponds.. And I'm not even in the cold part of Canada. (I grew up in England, so I'm allowed to make these observations) :D :D

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 8:35 pm

On another forum, UK farmers were complaining about the cold and a Canadian came online. He said it was -47c where he was (including chill factor). He said your face froze when you opened the door.

I've just had to let my cattle out onto sheet ice, didn't notice it. So I went to get a bucket of salt to put down before we had a broken leg. Of course my bull thought it was grub, so was advancing towards me, almost going spread-eagle at every step on the ice, whilst I was walking backwards spreading the salt! Wished I'd had a camera and a third arm :D.

How do the cattle cope with the cold Marion?

Edited By Broomcroft on 1261337911

108-1260406081 · Post by **108-1260406081** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 9:30 pm

try putting a football in the drinkers the cattle will knock it around and it should stop the drinker from freezing all over. and the cattle have a bit of fun aswell

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 10:33 pm

What a brilliant idea. This time it was the pipe that froze then blew off, but I will try the footballs.

Minnie · Post by **Minnie** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 10:44 pm

And I've been complaining about 40 degree Celsius heat, it just chills me reading this thread!

And amazes me how people and animals cope in such cold conditions.

Vicki

108-1260406081 · Post by **108-1260406081** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 11:10 pm

dont use leather footballs the cattle get a little funny about leather not sure why lol

Martin · Post by **Martin** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 5:24 pm

I can understand how our friends from over the pond have a little chuckle about us trying to cope with conditions that to them are balmy. The problem we have in the UK is that freezing conditions do not last very long and we have very few times when we are really put out so we do not invest in the equipment to overcome this as it would not be cost efective. I am sure if we had really hard winters here that we would all be looking at ways to keep the water running.

108-1260406081 · Post by **108-1260406081** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 6:13 pm

as a heating engineer by trade there is a solution. its trace heating . a thin heated cable that you clip to a water pipe it stops it from freezing. not sure how effective it would be in the yard though. another way is to run exsposed pipe on a slope and the fit a drain at the end. failing that is just good old hard labour ie filling drinkers manually. proper araflex lagging is waterproof and very effective you glu it on to the pipes but remember to seal joints ie bends etc as this is normally what freezes first.

Martin · Post by **Martin** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 9:46 am

Heard on BBC news this morning that parts of the UK where colder than Alaska!