myvada
Active Member
All my baths and troughs, bowsers are frozen solid how are you all coping to get water to your animals?
How are you all coping with frozen water?
- Thread starter myvada
- Start date
JessPickle
Well-Known Member
Even when it snowed YO managed to keep our water going was very chuffed, he covered all the pipes in foam. Put bales of shavings and old rugs over the tap itself and it did the trick
junglediva
Well-Known Member
no water at all here. got a small river beside our farm... cattle, sheep and lambs,dogs,all horses have the water fom the river. and we have to walk down to the fecking river each time we need water grrrrg lol.
milliepops
Wears headscarf aggressively
Fortunately we have a hot tap in the tackroom. And a kettle of hot water on top of the ice, combined with a good kick from a welly, usually breaks through the icy troughs. Would be a nightmare otherwise.
the watcher
Well-Known Member
troughs are only frozen at the top so they get broken and the ice removed daily, most taps are frozen but we have a couple on the yard in a sunny spot that defrost during the day so I spent an hour toting buckets this morning, and have the same to look forward to tomorrow
lucy1984
Well-Known Member
Apart from their usual water trough, I have a big barrel full of rainwater that collects from the field shelter roof but I do have a couple of containers incase I need to take any up to the field if they should run out. I keep a brick next to the troughs so I can smash the ice.
cellie
Well-Known Member
lugging it up to paddocks in water containers from basin in outside toilet
Katie__Connie
Well-Known Member
Fecking nightmare
Tormenta
Well-Known Member
Three Bowsers absolutely frozen solid (the water inside) so we are having daily trips with umpteen water containers to keep trugs and troughs full. Going through so much hay they are a thirsty bunch too! Mind you the weight in the boot keeps the car end from sliding lol
tasteofchristmaschaos
Well-Known Member
All our pipes have frozen. Have had to go out and buy 8 5L bottles of water to fill up and take to the yard everytime I go so my boy can drink!
I hate this weather...
I hate this weather...
Quadro
Well-Known Member
lugging it up from the tap inside the cattle shed which dosent seem to freeze due to the heat given off by the cows, im filling up containers and running them up and down in the wheelbarrow
Achinghips
Well-Known Member
an apple in the stable bucket stops it freezing
sallyellis
Well-Known Member
smash the ice on the troughs for the girls daily, and am currently lugging big plastic containers of water up to the farm daily as the bowsers are empty, although I could go to the river to collect water but its too darn cold and knowing me I would end up on my arse in it.
tasteofchristmaschaos
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
an apple in the stable bucket stops it freezing
[/ QUOTE ]
Which would last approx 10 seconds in Fella's bucket!
an apple in the stable bucket stops it freezing
[/ QUOTE ]
Which would last approx 10 seconds in Fella's bucket!
spotty_pony
...
The water troughs all keep freezing so at the moment whilst they still have water in them we just keep rebreaking them with a hammer. When they are empty we will be taking dustbins full of water out to the fields with a quad bike and trailer for the horses which live out 24/7. We have an emergency hosepipe which is kept in an old, warm barn so it doesn't freeze for emergencies so we can get water to all of the horses in their stables.
Little_Miss_1
Well-Known Member
Today my mum went down to feed a friends of ours horses and there we have to transport water from the house as the pipes are frozen. Well, the first bucket she took down was from the warm tap to try and delay the freeze, but the big boy started to guzzle it from the bucket before she'd put it in the trough. Apparently he wasn't expecting it hot and spat it out with a horriffied look on his face!
Quadro
Well-Known Member
a tennis ball is better as non edible!!
DW Team
Well-Known Member
Only one tap currently working on the yard. Luckly I have one of those water porter containers and can pull the blasted thing to and from the tap. Into boot of car and drive it to the youngsters field. Not much fun but has to be done about 5 inches of ice on the field buckets this evening. Balls on the water buckets have not worked in keeping them free of ice. Fetching and carrying for all 5 stables. Adds loads of time to the day.
alsxx
Well-Known Member
I have almost run out now as all pipes have been frozen for days, and have been using my reserve supply (dustbin and bath) to keep trough topped up and stable buckets filled. There is a tiny bit left in the bath. Have taken the container home tonight though and will start lugging that back and forth from tomorrow morning.
ecrozier
Well-Known Member
We've been lugging water containers back and forward. I say we, I don't have a 4x4 so have been asking those who do very nicely. Managed to get the tap going tonight with many kettles of hot water and filled everything we could find and hid it all inside under some rugs to try and stop that freezing! Auto water drinkers haven't worked for weeks really, thankfully the big boys foeld trough is still working, the little boys and the mares ones we are topping up daily and breaking the ice!
So over this weather now.
So over this weather now.
Patches
Well-Known Member
Horses have a large round, black water trough in the field. Holds umpteen gallons. Ice is broken daily on one half and pushed under the other half, so when it thaws we still have that water.
Luckily the tap inside the stable block and the automatic water bowls aren't freezing yet, even though we've had -8 C at nights. Our stables are brick built though and internal, so pretty warm considering.
I would hate to be carting water up. Those of you paying livery, do you not feel it's your YO's duty to provide you with water? If your YO lives on site, why are you filling containers up from home? Do they not have water in their homes?
We have the dairy on the farm which I could get water from if the stables froze (cow shed pipes freeze overnight and need thawing every morning). If the dairy froze, we'd be in deep poop as we couldn't milk, so I'm not concerned that we'll have to resort to sloshing buckets through our house.
Luckily the tap inside the stable block and the automatic water bowls aren't freezing yet, even though we've had -8 C at nights. Our stables are brick built though and internal, so pretty warm considering.
I would hate to be carting water up. Those of you paying livery, do you not feel it's your YO's duty to provide you with water? If your YO lives on site, why are you filling containers up from home? Do they not have water in their homes?
We have the dairy on the farm which I could get water from if the stables froze (cow shed pipes freeze overnight and need thawing every morning). If the dairy froze, we'd be in deep poop as we couldn't milk, so I'm not concerned that we'll have to resort to sloshing buckets through our house.
Colleen_Miss_Tom
Well-Known Member
Ours are frozen solid, Yard owner has been bringing water up, but not enough, I just bring 4 jars of hot water, by the time it arrives at the yard its cooled enough for madam but at the same time takes the chill off the water . Not that it lasts long
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L
lilym
Guest
Have lots of containers - fill em up at home and take em to the paddocks in the 4x4!!
Britestar
Well-Known Member
Hot kettle to defrost the tap, and then filling my H2Go bag and pushing wheel barrow to stables. That thing has been a god send!
celia
Well-Known Member
We have a large pond in the bottom field and the ducks are keeping one end free of ice so our lot are mainly drinking from that. We've been breaking inches of ice on the trough morning and night though and a bucket of hot water over the bit of pipe sticking out of the ground seems to be keeping it filling up ok.
Maizy
Well-Known Member
I've been smashing the water trough daily for my boy, BBEyes, and his field friends- if anyone can tell me how to avoid frost bite please help, even scooping out the ice with a bucket is killing my right hand...but not my left?!
They have also being getting a hot gruely soup twice a day to keep their fluids up. I've being taking up a container of hot water filled from my bath (with a funnel) to try and get some warmer liquids in them all, they are not so keen but i've added some apple juice / molasses a few times etc to encourage them.
So far touch wood the water on BBEars yard has keep working, only like all the others she's drinking like a fish.
I actually quite like winter, just wish I was more prepared and the horses didn't look so utterly pee'd off.
They have also being getting a hot gruely soup twice a day to keep their fluids up. I've being taking up a container of hot water filled from my bath (with a funnel) to try and get some warmer liquids in them all, they are not so keen but i've added some apple juice / molasses a few times etc to encourage them.
So far touch wood the water on BBEars yard has keep working, only like all the others she's drinking like a fish.
I actually quite like winter, just wish I was more prepared and the horses didn't look so utterly pee'd off.
Moggy in Manolos
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
Fecking nightmare
[/ QUOTE ]
This! Have to continually kick in the thick ice and cart out water from yard to field which is an absolute nightmare, it is my one bugbear at my yard to be honest, pay a fair amount and would expect a water trough at least, though it may well have frozen anyway!
Even their stable buckets are starting to freeze slightly
Fecking nightmare
[/ QUOTE ]
This! Have to continually kick in the thick ice and cart out water from yard to field which is an absolute nightmare, it is my one bugbear at my yard to be honest, pay a fair amount and would expect a water trough at least, though it may well have frozen anyway!
Even their stable buckets are starting to freeze slightly
Abbeygale
Well-Known Member
Thank you soooo much for this post!
I had just sat down for a little peruse of HHO, and saw the title of this thread, and realised that I had come in from the stables (right behind our house) and hadn't covered the tap!!!
I have managed to keep water running the whole time the weather has been bad - although so far I think we have escaped fairly lightly down here compared to everywhere else.
Any way, tap is now covered, and hopefully nice and snug and ready with running water in the morning!
I had just sat down for a little peruse of HHO, and saw the title of this thread, and realised that I had come in from the stables (right behind our house) and hadn't covered the tap!!!
I have managed to keep water running the whole time the weather has been bad - although so far I think we have escaped fairly lightly down here compared to everywhere else.
Any way, tap is now covered, and hopefully nice and snug and ready with running water in the morning!
Moggy in Manolos
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
I would hate to be carting water up. Those of you paying livery, do you not feel it's your YO's duty to provide you with water? If your YO lives on site, why are you filling containers up from home? Do they not have water in their homes?
.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, I do feel its the YO's duty personally but often everything is frozen even into the afternoon lately
I would hate to be carting water up. Those of you paying livery, do you not feel it's your YO's duty to provide you with water? If your YO lives on site, why are you filling containers up from home? Do they not have water in their homes?
.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, I do feel its the YO's duty personally but often everything is frozen even into the afternoon lately
Patches
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I would hate to be carting water up. Those of you paying livery, do you not feel it's your YO's duty to provide you with water? If your YO lives on site, why are you filling containers up from home? Do they not have water in their homes?
.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, I do feel its the YO's duty personally but often everything is frozen even into the afternoon lately
[/ QUOTE ]
Even in the YO's house?
I wouldn't want liveries walking through my home, don't get me wrong, but I would fill up containers for their use IF this was the only option for running water on site.
It wouldn't come to that for us as we are a working dairy farm. We have underground plumbed pipes into the parlour and dairy, plus a hot water boiler in the dairy. IF the taps in the stable block do freeze (and I hope they don't) we would have access to water up there. Put it this way...if the dairy's supply froze, I'd be in trouble in the house!
[ QUOTE ]
I would hate to be carting water up. Those of you paying livery, do you not feel it's your YO's duty to provide you with water? If your YO lives on site, why are you filling containers up from home? Do they not have water in their homes?
.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, I do feel its the YO's duty personally but often everything is frozen even into the afternoon lately
[/ QUOTE ]
Even in the YO's house?
I wouldn't want liveries walking through my home, don't get me wrong, but I would fill up containers for their use IF this was the only option for running water on site.
It wouldn't come to that for us as we are a working dairy farm. We have underground plumbed pipes into the parlour and dairy, plus a hot water boiler in the dairy. IF the taps in the stable block do freeze (and I hope they don't) we would have access to water up there. Put it this way...if the dairy's supply froze, I'd be in trouble in the house!