Soule: Winter Water Woes

Winter is a constant battle to keep my livestock hydrated. Cows have natural insulation to keep warm but can't live without water. Some farmers believe cattle can eat snow, but 88 percent of their intake is water; that would be a lot of snow. Besides, the snow they eat would have to be clean - not trampled by hooves - and what if, like this year, it doesn't snow much? My pregnant cows drink 20 to 25 gallons of water daily; my two horses consume about 5 gallons each. Our sheep, donkey, and goats drink less but still need it—water matters.

Have you noticed that streams with flowing water often don't freeze? Moving water is less likely to turn solid. With 15 cows drinking from one trough, their water resists freezing, too.

When north winds blow and the temps drop below zero, even flowing water will freeze, so we have more tools in place. Most of our troughs have a ball over the opening, which the cows push aside to drink.

Other tools in the war against ice are thermostatically controlled electric heaters. They are inserted into the water to keep it from freezing, but they also heat up my electric bill. Heated waterers add hundreds of dollars each month to my already painfully high Eversource bill.
With all this technology, it sounds like we have it easy. Remember, only the cow and horse waterers fill automatically. The others must be filled with hoses or buckets, and hoses do freeze. When you visit our farm store in the winter, don't be surprised if you see a hose or two thawing in the back room.

Working with water in winter is also hard on fingers. Even wool won't keep my hand warm when it's wet. Have you ever seen a damp wool glove stick to a metal water pipe in freezing weather? I have.

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Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm in Loudon, N.H., where she raises and sells beef and other local products. She can be reached at carolesoule60@gmail.com.