Livestock Water Heating

[lyndall riedel]

Looking for advice to provide milking dairy goats with heated water so can be milked through winter. 12v heating element https://www.ebay.com/itm/12-Volt-20...Element-with-Built-In-Thermostat/291645422913 12" sheep tank w heating element plug. https://www.murdochs.com/products/l...tanks/hutchison-western-round-end-sheep-tank/

 

[Prefersdirt]

Why must the water be heated? Cattle drink cold water throughout the winter. Put a small water pump in the tank to keep the water moving and ice should not form on it. (We are testing something similar with the large waterer for cattle -- turning the pump on when we are rotating the cattle back to that area. So far, the ice gets melted off and held off).

Moving water will keep more of the area clear vs just the area around the heater. Especially w that type of tank design.

 

[Deleted member 783]

Around here people use black shade balls, but if it gets too much below freezing thats worthless.

 

[lyndall riedel]

Why must the water be heated? Cattle drink cold water throughout the winter. Put a small water pump in the tank to keep the water moving and ice should not form on it. (We are testing something similar with the large waterer for cattle -- turning the pump on when we are rotating the cattle back to that area. So far, the ice gets melted off and held off).

Moving water will keep more of the area clear vs just the area around the heater. Especially w that type of tank design.

Wanting to milk through the winter and dairy goats will drink more water if the temp is around 50°. The state tried a bubbler and it froze anyway but just keeping it open would be better than nothing. Mostly wondering what kind of solar or wind/solar equipment would be needed to run this heating element.

 

[lyndall riedel]

Around here people use black shade balls, but if it gets too much below freezing thats worthless.

Yeah, we've already gotten to -11° in October.

 

[Prefersdirt]

dairy goats will drink more water if the temp is around 50°.

That explains that.

Might I suggest an insulated waterer then? You will lose sooo much energy through those metal sides to everything that keeping the water warm will be nearly impossible.

Some of our cattle watering troughs sit low to the ground and have large balls that seal against the opening. The cattle push the balls down to drink. The sides are very thick plastic and there is air inside around where the water sits. Combined with the ground proximity, water never freezes. Won't work for goats is my guess.

I will think on this. Gotta do something -- work is dead slow right now.

Where are you located, if I may ask?

 

[lyndall riedel]

That explains that.

Might I suggest an insulated waterer then? You will lose sooo much energy through those metal sides to everything that keeping the water warm will be nearly impossible.

Some of our cattle watering troughs sit low to the ground and have large balls that seal against the opening. The cattle push the balls down to drink. The sides are very thick plastic and there is air inside around where the water sits. Combined with the ground proximity, water never freezes. Won't work for goats is my guess.

I will think on this. Gotta do something -- work is dead slow right now.

Where are you located, if I may ask?

Laramie WY. I've got a foot of manure built up in the barn which makes it nicer in there. So, I think I need to dig the tank down into the manure and insulate. We usually don't get this kind of weather 'til January. I'll get some balls and insulate the tank. The worst part is that over the last week we've had no sun and no wind, so even my brother in law who has two wind generators and several solar panels hasn't been making power. So, even if I had a DC heating element up and running, it wouldn't be getting power. Very unusual for wyoming to not have wind for such a long time. Usually 20-30mph on any given day. Thanks for brainstorming.

 

[Prefersdirt]

Laramie WY. I've got a foot of manure built up in the barn which makes it nicer in there. So, I think I need to dig the tank down into the manure and insulate. We usually don't get this kind of weather 'til January. I'll get some balls and insulate the tank. The worst part is that over the last week we've had no sun and no wind, so even my brother in law who has two wind generators and several solar panels hasn't been making power. So, even if I had a DC heating element up and running, it wouldn't be getting power. Very unusual for wyoming to not have wind for such a long time. Usually 20-30mph on any given day. Thanks for brainstorming.

Inside this barn, this may not work. But this thread is something I found that might give you ideas. You may not be able to use the solar collection inside, but the quick and easy insulation might be an option. My limited goat experience is that they love to climb, so the additional size should not be too hard.

I am in Indiana, so we have slightly different weather here.

 

[lyndall riedel]

Ooooo....I like that idea. I can put it outside, on the south side of the barn, so it can get maximum sun. My tank is a 12" high sheep tank, so I'll just adapt the plan to that. Thanks! That's the best idea yet!

 

[bulrush]

What about installing a passive solar heater on the south side of the barn (where the sun shines the most) and have water tubing going through that heater? Some people use the passive solar heater to heat the whole barn if it's insulated enough.

Something like this but larger:

Here's an electric heater attached to a 100w solar panel:

And a YT search for you: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=solar+barn+heater+DIY

Your manure pile will also provide some heat, especially if you pile it up. Then you can run a solar water pump to recirculate water through the warm manure pile back to the watering bucket. A small pump like that will use less power and you get warmer water!

Don't let the manure dry out too much or the bacterial action (and heat) will stop. And don't make it too wet either.

 

[Dreen]

We have similar issues with livestock water here. Also have dairy goats, like you.

Thus far, I haven't really put my mind to it and have simply succumbed to the power sucking tank deicers. The problem with burying a tank in manure, which is a good heat source, is that if goats have manure in their water they won't drink it. Or not enough to keep them in production. So you'd need a way of keeping the dung out of the water and yet having the water buried in the dung enough to keep it from icing.

I may give a convection solar heater a try. Box with tubing painted blak inside with an inlet and an outlet and the cold will always sink and the het will alwyas rise.

Thanks for getting my mind going on this. But total lack of Sun might make a solar heater moot. I'll keep churning on this though. Watering livestock in winter is always a problem.

 

[Azimuth Shari]

How big of water tank do you need to keep from freezing? Can you circulate the water underground to use ground heat to keep it above freezing?

You could use the existing water in the tank or better yet, circulate a closedsystem thru the water tank (don't use antifreeze). It should be enough to keep the water from freezing.

Alternatively, a pond/aquarium heater powered by a DiO2 battery with 3 -5 days reserve power and a small solar panel.