Water Troughs and Cold Weather

The winter of 2017/2018 has been pretty tough to take at times – and there are still several weeks to go according to the calendar.  There have already been two snow events and record setting cold temperatures.  When you have animals and these types of weather conditions, keeping water thawed can be a huge challenge.  It may be something we think about skipping so we can get back in the warmth of the house, but water consumption is critical, even in the winter.  Here are some things to think about and possibly implement to help keep the water thawed for your livestock.  Remember some of these ideas may have limitations if temperatures get really low. 

1. Locate your trough for sun exposure.

Let Mother Nature help you out.  Placing your trough so that it receives as much full sun as possible can help keep it thawed throughout the day.  Place the tank in a south-facing area as this will increase the potential amount of sunlight during daylight hours

2. Insulate your trough.

Insulation can help keep the cold out and the warmth of the water in.   Styrofoam board and/or foil covered insulation works well and can be wrapped around the outside of the trough. What works even better is putting one trough inside another with a gap of a couple of inches all the way around. Then, place insulation on the bottom between the two troughs and around the outside of the interior trough. Finally, fill any gaps with spray insulation that sets hard. You can also build a plywood box, line it with insulation, and put your trough inside it.

Another means to help insulate the trough as much as possible is to put an insulated lid over the trough with just enough surface area for the animals to drink.  This might work pretty well if you have a limited number of animals, but a trough that needs to supply water to 50 cows, for example, may not be conducive to this suggestion.    You can install a plywood lid with insulation attached to the underside of the lid.  This can help keep the warmth in the trough. 

3. Place a float in the trough.

Floating something in the trough helps in a couple of ways. First, it keeps the surface of the water moving as it bobs about, making it harder to freeze. Second, if the horses learn to depress the floating object, it will expose an open area in the ice so they can drink.  This done be done with soccer balls, but another tactic is to fill an empty two-liter soda bottle two thirds full with water and 1 to 2 cups salt dissolved and seal tightly. There is enough air in the bottle for it to float, and saltwater freezes at a lower temperature than the water in the trough, so the water keeps moving. These methods receive mixed reviews. Some people swear by them, while others find it doesn’t work at all.

4. Bury your trough.

If your ground is frozen it is likely too late this year, but digging a hole for your trough and sinking it into the ground might help by insulating the through. Again this is going to depend on where you live and how deep down your ground freezes.   One account from someone living in North Dakota indicated they had used a fence post auger to dig a 12-inch hole several feet deep under their water trough. Apparently the heat rising from deep within the earth helped prevent the trough from freezing.

5. Heat your trough.

Water trough heaters are available in a number of different styles.  The most important thing with any of these heaters is to make sure it is installed correctly and safely.  Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.  Animals are naturally curious.  Make sure you have taken all precautions to ensure their safety around these heaters. 

One thing to consider is “natural heat”.  Try putting manure under the trough.  When manure breaks down through composting, a lot of heat is generated.  You will probably need a manure layer that is several inches thick in order to capture the heat that is produced. 

Actively heating your trough in combination with one or more of the above ideas will likely reduce energy costs.

No matter what improvements you implement to keep the water thawed, you want to check those troughs at least twice a day to make sure the animals have access to the water and that there are no other issues.

Adapted from article written by Dr. Clair Thunes, PhD, an independent equine nutrition consultant who own Summit Equine Nutrition in Sacramento, California.