Pasture Drinker: Mobile Water Supply for Every Field and Paddock
Out on the paddock the water has to come to the animal. Here you will find mobile pasture drinkers for cattle, horses and sheep.
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Pasture Drinker: Water Where the Herd Is Standing
There is rarely a water connection out on grass. A cow still needs over a hundred litres a day in summer, and if the walk to the drinker is too far the herd grazes less and loses condition. A pasture drinker brings the supply directly onto the field. The poly versions with 450 or 1000 litres are light enough to move, tough enough for cattle and can be refilled from a pipe, a barrel or a pump.
Position and set-up
Place the drinker as centrally as you can, so no animal has to walk more than about two hundred metres. Level, firm ground suits it best – in a hollow the area around it turns to mud very quickly. A steel ground anchor stops cattle shoving the drinker aside or tipping it over when they rub against it. At the next move you can shift it with the front loader, or between two people once it is empty. Changing position every few weeks also spares the sward around the drinker, which otherwise gets trodden bare within a single season.
Keeping it clean and topped up
Standing water in the sun is a breeding ground for algae and biofilm. Check the drinker every time you walk the field and rinse it out at least once a week. A float valve on the inlet holds the level constant and stops the drinker running dry unnoticed. Where there is no pipe, you work with a pasture barrel or tank as a reserve, or with a mains-free pasture pump that the animal operates itself.
Frequently asked questions
How big does the drinker need to be?
Allow around a hundred litres per head per day for cattle in high summer. A 1000-litre drinker will therefore carry a small herd through a day with no inflow.
Can the drinker stay out over winter?
Only empty. Water expands as it freezes and can damage the container. For winter grazing you need a heated solution.
How often do I have to clean it?
In summer rinse it out thoroughly at least once a week, and more often in strong sunshine. Otherwise algae take hold on the walls very quickly and the animals start to refuse the water.
So the Herd Does Not Have to Walk
On the paddock the distance to the drinker decides how much the animals eat. If the walk is too far, cattle drink less often, take in less feed and lose performance. A mobile pasture drinker brings the water straight to where the herd is standing. The poly versions with 450 or 1000 litres are light enough to reposition when you move the stock, and tough enough for cattle to rub against without anything giving way. A steel ground anchor holds the container safely in place, even when the ground is soft after rain. Refilling is done from a pipe with a float valve, from a pasture barrel, or with no power at all through a pasture pump. Checking the drinker matters just as much: standing water in the sun turns green quickly and should be rinsed out thoroughly at least once a week.